The Garden Grown

Once upon a time, there was a nurseryman. In the dark of winter, he planted seeds in his greenhouse. He cared for them lovingly, watering them well. If he had left the greenhouse door open even one night, they would have died. But this he never did. Under his care, more seeds germinated than in other greenhouses, and by mid-spring there was no room to walk across the greenhouse floor, so many seedlings had sprouted. He even had to bring some into his house to grow on a sunny windowsill. He loved seeing the first leaves, which looked all the same, followed by the true leaves, which showed what kind of plant it would be. Light or dark green, smooth or furry leaves, edges that were straight or zigzagged. As Spring grew warm, he opened the greenhouse doors for longer and longer, until at last he brought all of the seedlings out into the world.

The nurseryman felt only one sorrow. Because he was poor, he had to sell every last seedling at the market. Therefore he had no garden of his own. He had heard people tell of the fabulous fruits, and flowers that his seedlings became, but he never saw them for himself. He even pined with envy when he heard of the battles against weeds, of the rabbits and groundhogs, the years of drought, and those of flooding. If only he himself could try his hand at gardening.

It was late summer, too late to plant, and his greenhouse was empty. Dustballs rolled on the neglected, sunbaked floor. He had to spent the rest of the year doing odd jobs and running errands for others, in order to be able to buy the seeds, soil, and pots for the next year's seedlings. The man felt lonely. In the night, he could not sleep.

He left his house and started walking. He walked from village to village, from town to town. He could see the grey outlines of plants in people's gardens by the light of the moon. As the light began to dawn, he beheld with wonder as the garden took on color. Sunflowers emerged in the sunrise light, lemon yellow, deep red, golden and brown. Roses, delicate with dewdrops. Lilies. He saw at last the full plants that his seedlings became, more wonderful than any descriptions from others. He could not go back to his greenhouse.

He kept on walking. He was growing hungry and thirsty. The villages gave way to a deep forest. He came upon a little grey man leaning on a tree, who asked him where he came from and where he was going. The man told him, "I am from the greenhouse and I am looking for a garden." The grey man liked his kind expression, and could tell that the nurseryman knew how to grow things. He gave the wandering man a pair of silver scissors.

On went the nurseryman, hungrier and thirstier than ever. He saw a yellow man chewing on a blade of grass, who also asked him where he came from and where he was going. At the answer, the yellow man gave him a silver needle. After a while the nurseryman met a blue man sitting on a stone. He asked the same question as the others, and got the same answer. The blue man gave the nurseryman a silver spindle. The nurseryman walked on until he came to a city. He knocked upon the first door he reached. A little tailor answered. The nurseryman told the tailor of his journey, and asked for food. The tailor did not begrudge him this, and after they had eaten he asked the nurseryman to be his assistant.

First, the tailor allowed him to snip the loose threads from the finished clothes with his silver scissors. Then when he got good at that, he was allowed to sew clothes with his silver needle. At last, he was able to spin the yarn with which they wove the cloth with his silver spindle.

The royal wedding was coming, and the tailor and his assistant were asked to make the bride's dress. If they suceeded in making it fine enough for a princess, they would become the royal tailors. But if it had any flaw, they would be put to death. The tailor and his assistant worked day and night for three days, and at last they had a splendid dress. So tired from the work, the nurseryman, stumbled and trod a grain of soil into the train of his gown. It was the last grain of soil left from his nurseryman days.

The tailor was furious, but they had no time to try and wash or mend it, for the servants of the king were already outside the door, demanding the dress. The tailor and his assistant rode in the carriage with the dress. At first the courtiers praised the gown, as fine a one as they had ever seen. But the King himself saw the tiny stain, and ordered the two men to the gallows. But before they could be taken there, the royal butler recognized the nurseryman and stopped them.

"O King. This is the famous nurseryman who started all the glorious plants in your gardens. Indeed, as we are in need of a gardener, let us spare him his life, and let him earn his keep." But the King would not accept the stained dress. The butler ran to the garden and brought back a silver lily. Anyone could see it was a special plant, for it glowed like the moon. The butler touched the flower to the stain, and it was instantly as clean and perfect as new, and the dress glowed, even more lovely than before.

The nurseryman became the King's gardener, and had gardens for every day of the week. Not only did he have a garden of his own, but one for the whole kingdom as well. And people travelled from far and wide to enjoy it. Many of them recognized the former nurseryman, and thanked him for the wonderful plants he had started years before, which graced their gardens still.