This past winter and spring were devastating to some of the newly planted shrubs and plants around my house. I'm a sucker for flowering shrubs. Our house had nothing but dying vegetation throughout the yard when we moved in a couple years ago. It was a lot of back breaking working to pull the old deadwood shrubs out, prepare the beds and plant new ones. In southwest Missouri one has to mine before one can plant. You don't dig a hole and drop in a bush. You chisel a hole with a pick ax, jack hammer, or back hoe. Talk about manual labor.
Between the worse ice storm in 30 years and an extremely late killer frost this spring just as many trees and bushes were preparing to bloom, it did a big time number on my azaleas, roses, butterfly bushes, sand cherry, Altheas (Rose of Sharon), crepe myrtle, rhododendrons, Bradford pears, Dogwoods and nandinas. It even nearly killed my dwarf evergreens. I was heart broken. Everything looked dead.
Like many others, I went to the plant nursery to find out what to do. Since we've never had a late killer frost like that, no one knew what to do. I was ready to dig it all out and start over. But the advice a of master gardener encouraged me to wait. "They more than likely won't bloom this year, but give it time and the plants should make it," she pronounced. I followed her advice. It took some time and some special care, but nearly all of the plants have survived and some of them even bloomed, albeit late. There's no doubt signs of stress in several of the bushes, but I only lost one Rose of Sharon.
Giving them time and attention helped them to make it and produce. Had I just gone on appearance last spring, I would have angrily ripped about 30 plants from the ground and started over. As it turned out, my patience and care saved me tons of time and cash. Looks like now I'll only be replacing one shrub.
At some point, God will dig up the deadwood and get rid of it. In the meantime, He gives us every chance to respond to Him and grow in Him. He may have to do a radical pruning to force us back from the roots, but He's desire is to see us bloom and grow.
God, gentle pruning is hard enough to take. Radical pruning is downright painful. Lord, you know what I need when I need it. I know you'll do what you have to keep me growing into the image of your Son. I confess I enjoy the fertilizing and watering more than the pruning. Go ahead do what you must so that I can produce the kind of fruit that gives you glory. Show me as a leader, when to break out the pruning shears and when to apply the fertilizer and water. Lord, also help me know who/what still has potential and who/what is deadwood.
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