The Real Dirt - A Revived Garden

Yesterday I had four Veterans Honor roses on the altar; Ranger Bob is taking them for his cemetary visit today. They bloomed abundantly once I took away the shade cast by the bully plants, Joe Pye in particular. 

 Not long ago, I cut all the Joe Pye Weeds off at ground level. I knew from a previous mistake (not my own, this time) that Joe Pye will come back, once established. Weed is an honorific title since it throws enough shade to dominate all smaller plants. Everything cut back began growing again. I even saw some tiny Joe Pye flowers on the new sprouts. Bee Balm and Cat Mint also came back to life, more content to grow than to retire peacefully. 

That reminded me of the quotation about persecution, "The more you mow us down, the faster we grow." That is the frank translation of "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." The first translation is much closer to gardening. The second version, best known, sounds like it came from a bishop's public relations officer.

This photo is misleading. Veterans Honor looks much better in real life.