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4. PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 24, 1996 By Patricia Price Gardens are special places, full of beauty and mystery. There are so many things happening there that it is difficult sometimes to hear or see it all. However, if you're very quiet and still, you will be amazed what you will discover. Most of us, with a little effort, can learn about the different kinds of flowers and shrubs and trees, but there are so many other things happening. As you look closer, you will see a whole other world that is home to families of spiders, lady bugs, beetles and toads. And, of course, there is even more life under the ground -- a world of roots, bugs, worms and ants. As you listen very carefully you can hear the stories told by your garden. This is a story which comes from an old bed of hollyhocks in the garden of an old house. NE DAY in ear- ly December, there was a scarlet hollyhock blooming outside the kitchen window. I listened very carefully and this is what I discovered. The hollyhocks grew in colorful profu- sion against the warm west wall of the old red brick house. Their blossoms of pink, salmon, purple ivory and scarlet were the descendants of many genera- tions of old hollyhock plants. No one could remember when they weren't there. Protected from the winds and exposed to the full hot afternoon sun, they grew tall and stately. This year, one plant grew even taller than all the others, its sturdy stalk car- rying the crimson petals to the upper edges of the back kitchen window. She had a grand view over the whole garden, and could even peek into the house. -- On warm lazy afternoons the holly- hocks would whisper quietly to each oth- er and to the little birds that rested on their branches. The scarlet hollyhock would tell them about the stone wall at the end of the garden, and describe the other beautiful flowers that she could see. The children often came to play in the sun near the hollyhocks. They would pick a few of their colored blossoms and, turning them upside down, would pre- tend they were little ballerinas in brightly colored skirts. They would laugh and dance with them in the grass. Later, according to the scarlet holly- hock, they would be taken into the large kitchen and set afloat in a cool sea of water in a large crystal bowl. On very hot days they longed to be the chosen ballerinas and float on the crystal sea. Summer faded into fall, bringing with it cooler wet days. One by one the hollyhocks said their goodbyes as their petal: ed and closed in on each other. Their large leaves dried and fell back to nourish the earth, and they went into a deep sleep. Jor SOME wcoson, tra no one could explain, the scarlet holly- hock continued to live and bloom. At first she enjoyed the adventure of being on her own. She felt very grown up. But as the weeks passed, she became lonely and missed her friends. The little chick- adees would come and sit on her branch- es and talk with her. The garden soon became drab and empty and one by one her petals faded, leaving only a few flowers near the top. The nights became very chilly and she shivered in the scarlet skirts. One morning she awoke as if in a dream and looked around. Everywhere there was a mysterious whitenéss that hid everything. The world looked new and fresh. She looked down and saw that her red skirts were now trimmed in sparkling white fur. She was grateful for this whiteness Wg es warmed her roots and, with the afternoon sun, helped . to take away the chill. The chickadees darted to and fro in the garden, singing to her and telling her stories about the winter and the coming Christmas sea- son. But she was becoming so weary now she had trouble concentrating. Most of her petals had closed, and only two red flowers remained. That evening there was a strange glow from inside the house. She strained to stay awake, and peered wearily into the room. Standing in. cme of the large kitchen was a real tree cov- ered in tiny lights, and beneath the tree there were dozens of parcels wrapped in bright paper and ribbons. The children were dressed in their best dresses and trousers. Pats of larger bright red flow- ers sat on tables. There were sparkling glasses on the sideboard, plates of sweets, and fruits in footed glass dishes. There were also stories of Christmas: of bells and Holly and baby Jesus. Then there was the music -- such sounds as she had never heard -- which sent a quiver through her chilled petals, and into her roots beneath the cold earth. "Oh, if only my friends were here to see and hear all of this," she said softly to herself. "If I could tell them about Christmas." : Soon she fell asleep with the visions of colored lights, flowers and presents wrapped in her petals, and the sounds of "the Christmas stories and music echoing within her. As dawn approached, she could hear the faint call of the little chickadee as he came to see her. She told him what she had seen in the night and how happy she was, but the talking tired her. As the sun rose in the sky, the holly- hock fell into a deep sleep, her memories folded gently in her petals. The snow fell gently on the holly- hocks, wrapping them all in a warm blanket of snow, protecting them for the - rest of the long winter. . All li ings, one sitting on the plant. He occas! pods on sqme of . seeds onto the | The days p: came early. One there was a b freshness and w rou excitement ir things began once of the dark earth. Th again alive with of bird song. As spring became hock plants grew tall more, and admired e flowers. bal It wasn't long before the tall scarlet hollyho with them. They and her cheerful and the cool crys One day it was still. Although they they longed for a bit. clouds to refresh them "I can tell you a sto: feel cooler," said a The hollyhocks lo see where the little voice from. Below them, at the the old back kitchen windc was a small new ho 1 with only two flowers; but were the most exquisite color the other hollyhock had ever seen. Perched beside him was his fri the chickadee. 3 They stared down at disdainfully. "What coul you possibly tell us? . You're too young to know anything and besides, even though you have beautiful petals, you're ou ¥ too short to even see gu. anything." And they all laughed at him. Mustering all of his courage, he again stated that he could indeed tell them a cooling story. It was too hot to argue, so they decided to let him continue. The chick- adees, spar-