In the back corner of my garden right behind the birds nest ferns lives the spirit of the garden. It is a small frail looking being, sharp pointy ears, a wickedly infectious smile and as nippy at getting about as you could possibly imagine.
Twenty-Two lives to maintain harmony in my garden. For without its guiding hand the plants would run amok, the universe would undoubtedly go into free fall and as Twenty- Two says to me on so many occasions: ‘Where would all that leave us.’
He goes about his business in the quietest most unobtrusive way. I see him from time to time wandering through the ferns chatting to each one, drawing lines in the ground marking territory, some ferns I have to say are very territorial and have little respect for the needs of other plants.
For example the tree fern is acting very obtusely of late. It’s a bit of a Johnny-Come-Lately in the garden but has taken a little more than its fair share of the space so is crowding out the not as robust plants and I know Twenty-Two has spoken to it on more than one occasion.
What tree fern doesn’t understand nor get is that Twenty-Two has the power to put an end to its aggression. I’ve seen it happen before where one plant tried to take over the whole garden space only to find Twenty-Two has the power to cut off your water supply.
Tree Fern is the bully of my garden and as attractive and as proud I am of its growth from one scrawny frond to the size it is today I also understand the need for it to pull its head in, literally, and get along much better with the other plants. I am sure Twenty-Two will succeed, he always does.
I was always bamboozled by his name until I realised his name reflects the address is living in. My house is 22 and so when he is here he is known as Twenty-Two. When he goes next door, for Garden Harmony Spirits do travel the neighbourhood, he takes on that number, so tomorrow he may be Twenty-Four or Sixteen depending where he is.
As yesterday was Christmas Day he and I made our Christmas morning complete by sitting in the garden and enjoying our early morning cup of tea. Twenty-Two is very partial to a strong herbal tea. We do this each Christmas, during which time we discuss the garden, the plants of concern, and plans I might have to replant or expand.
At the moment he is having his annual battle with Tradescantia fluminensis known as Wandering Jew to us. This plant has a mind of its own and obeys no laws; in fact it invades the garden on a regular basis a fact that Twenty-Two is always pointing out to me urging me to pull it out to curb its aggressive behaviour. Because it’s a crawling plant as Twenty-Two points out its hard to curb its behaviour which I know has always, as long as I can remember been the issue with it in the garden. Twenty-Two says the cursed thing doesn’t even converse in English as it’s come from Argentina and jabbers away in Plant Spanish so he is forever having to translate. Twenty-Two rolls his eyes and says he will keep trying.
Apart from those concerns Twenty-Two and I get along well. He likes my garden, there is a nice balance he says and all the plants, the ferns especially are happy where they are. It makes his job so much easier.
So after a while and a good chin wag as he puts it we great each other with Merry Christmas and off he goes over the fence to Twenty where he says the mint is growing out of control again and he has to convince it that it takes more than an attractive aroma to make any plant useful in the garden and to know its place.

Written for: http://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2014/12/25/the-legend-of-awdangit/