"The Blackberries are Definitely a Metaphor"

I found this post when I was cruising around the web recently, and thought it went well with our garden metaphors. So here it is, a bonus to the fall group, about the difference between blooming and fruiting:

https://crossknit.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/the-blackberries-are-definitely-a-metaphor/

"Last year I realized I had to do more than stop fighting. The blackberry bramble had gone everywhere, but I wasn’t getting any more blackberries than in the years when I’d tried to hold back the thorny tide.
"Last year, I treated the blackberries like I wanted them. I pruned them purposefully instead of whacking them back willy-nilly. Contained them to healthy cane, confined them to an area I wanted them in. Gave them things to grow on, and clipped away intrepid exploring vines that threatened to choke out the rosemary bush.
"Last year I gave the blackberries the same attention (my dad would call it benevolent neglect) that the rest of the yard gets; no more, no less.
"Last year, I couldn’t pick all the berries in time. I turned my hands purple daily. The Weimaraner learned to pick berries off the cane, carefully, with fuzzy dog lips rolled back from her front teeth. . .
"Sure, you can bloom where you’re planted. But sometimes you need a little help if you want to bear fruit, too."