Every time I garden, I am made aware of these ‘look-alike’ plants that just seem to KNOW to grow next to the authentic plant. They usually grow richly with an abundance of leaves; but when it comes time to harvest fruit they are a poor imitation, usually empty, and often non-existent. As I am pulling weeds I am cautious but am frequently duped into letting the ‘fake’ continue to grow, thinking it’s what I planted. Unfortunately, I don’t discover the truth until the imposter has entwined itself around the plants, choking out their life. Attempts to remove the weeds result in accidentally pulling up the real plant.
I am not a botany expert but my experience in this tells me that there might be an imposter for every plant out there. Ironically the imposters grow next to the true plants…. I don’t get it!! How do they know?!
This hands-on lesson in the garden points to a life lesson that many discover too late.
The imposters flourish en cognito next to the real thing and we often let them stay until it is too late. They influence those around them, appear beautiful and are seemingly the genuine article only to be exposed when it is time for harvest. They have no good fruit and have corrupted or killed the ones growing around them.
Be aware that just because it ‘looks’ good you will truly know it’s good by its fruit.