Learn from Plants During these Challenging Times for All

“What we learn from plants is not always obvious, yet that doesn’t mean they’re not teaching us something all season long.” – Anonymous

These are challenging times, where closures and quarantines show no prejudice. Where nature seems unaffected by an innate need to emerge from dormancy and prosper – even in the face of unprecedented circumstances.

Flowers continue to blossom. Trees still leaf out in a glorious canopy display. Vegetables take root in gardens and plant containers from coast to coast. As we all struggle to make sense of the disruption to our normalcy, there are a great many things we can learn from plants.

Plants are able to adapt

We often fail to realize the power plants possess in adapting to the ever-changing seasons and environmental conditions put before them. It’s those fluctuations that often force them to adapt to their new reality and in turn continue to thrive. In a way, they accept the challenges before them and adjust rather than maintain.

If Covid-19 has taught society anything it’s that circumstances are not static. We must always prepare for the inevitabilities of change and be ready to adapt with courage, creativity, ingenuity, and patience.

Plants tend to move along at their own pace

Gardeners and homeowners are often impatient. The strawberry plants, which emerge year after year in plastic hanging baskets in the backyard, still seem dormant; the daisies which should be a foot tall by now have only grown to a few inches. We may want plants to grow faster and bigger, but ultimately, they grow at their own pace, in their own time.

Covid-19 has forced us all to do something we’re not used to doing on a daily basis – slow down and change our pace. This alteration has allowed us all to refocus – to better understand the priorities we often take for granted during times of regularity. Take this opportunity to truly enjoy the processes we often find ourselves rushing through during any given year.

Plants allow their struggles to make them stronger

The leaves on deciduous trees help them draw in energy from the sun during the spring and summer months. But their thin composition makes them too fragile to handle the harsh winter conditions. The tree, understanding the struggles ahead, absorbs all the nutrients it can extract from the leaves back into its cellular system near the end of summer/beginning of fall, helping it survive the cold winter months to emerge stronger in the spring.

The 14^th Dalai Lama once said, “There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.” No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”

The horticulture industry has not been immune to the personal, environmental, and financial challenges of Covid-19. But we can learn from plants as nurturers as stewards of the growing community during these challenging times. To “absorb all the nutrients” from your friends, your family, and your partners in the horticulture industry to weather the struggles together and emerge even stronger.

We at The HC Companies are always here to help. Call or email us today for from grower to gardener, we’re improving our world, our industry, together.