It always amazes me that these beautiful flourishing plants can be reduced to twigs and still bounce back and regrow. This pot in summer was full of beautiful blooming hydrangeas and during winter was reduced to dead wood – or so it seemed. I’m not much of a gardener, you can probably tell! It’s more my partners domain, she loves it and is very good at it.

When I see the beautiful hydrangeas flourishing in summer and the result of their ‘winter trim’ I can’t help thinking they might have been accidentally killed off. But sure enough in a few weeks those twigs begin to spring back into life, new shoots appear and grow begins again until they’re once again blooming come summer.

It’s a bit like life. It’s sometimes when we’re cut right back that we can renew and grow again. Sometimes we have to wipe the slate clean and lose the dead wood – the bits that no longer serves us to gain those new shoots and regrow. Whether it’s a new job, a new relationship or letting go of emotional baggage, limiting beliefs. This time of year is ideal, just like the plants to consider what we need to let go of and cut back to allow those new shoots to spout and regrowth to happen.

If you feel like those dead branches, don’t worry, green shoots may be about to appear. But only if you feed, water and nurture the plant so check you’re doing that for yourself too and new shoots will grow.

Arohanui Jess

Join me on retreat as we explore new shoots and grow in a restorative nurturing environment