This late spring and early summer of 2019 saw us with no water to grow flowers. We received a third of the amount of annual rainfall in 2019 compared to 2018 and it showed up in the form of a dried up dam and a flowless river.
With the compacted stress of bushfires on top of that, our life on the farm recently had been quite stressful. Not so much because of not being able to grow flowers but the stress caused by our concerns for our river and the wildlife that inhabit it, running out of water in tanks and having to buy water in, seeing communities around us running out of water and towns further afield even having to leave their homes because of it!
Water is such an essential part of all life and even the towns folk are feeling the effects of a lack of water - level 4 restrictions all round.
I am hoping that from this a new appreciation and thoughtfulness emerges for the rivers that flow through our regions, I hope that people can see the importance and necessity to not take from the river more than she has to give and to make adjustments to usage in dry times. We must remember our place in the ecosystem and happily sit in it.
The good news for us is that 2020 has brought with her rain and a flowing river once again! Our dam has refilled which the ducks are appreciating as we speak. The landscape all around has turned neon green and within all of us a huge sigh of relief has been released. The sights and sounds of a river once again allowed to run her course lights me up inside and breathes life back into our landscape like a wicking bed.
What I have learnt though is that carnations can live through extreme heat and " zero water" conditions quite well which makes me think that with just a little bit of love next time around they would probably flourish. I've also realised that I really love growing flowers and I have missed not having them around - a good sign that I am on the right track and exactly where I am meant to be!
Plans have been made for late winter/spring time flowers with a wedding in September being a focus. Seed packets have started arriving in the mail, larkspur seeds are chilling in the freezer and we are excited to get growing again!
No more of an important time than now to grow something, grow anything and share your abundance with your community.
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