“Though you should find all barren and laid waste, there will be few gardens in Middle-earth that will bloom like your garden, if you sprinkle this earth there. Then you may remember Galadriel, and catch a glimpse far off of Lorien, that you have seen only in our winter.”

- The Fellowship of the Ring, “Farewell to Lorien”

Sam sat quietly in the garden of Bag End, running his fingers through the patchy grass. He hardly noticed when Frodo sat beside him, followed by his cousins. Merry passed around a bag of pipeweed, and they prepared and lit their pipes in silence.

Sighing loudly, Sam watched as the smoke curled and disappeared into the darkening sky.

“It’s the trees that worry me most,” he announced after a time, and not really knowing why he brought it up. His friends were watching him, however, waiting for him to go on, and so he did. “All chopped up as they are, and cut down to the roots.”

Frodo rested his hand on Sam’s arm and squeezed gently. “More will grow in time.”

“It’ll take years and years to have the Shire the way it was,” Sam said gloomily as his eyes welled up with tears. He patted his pockets, looking for a handkerchief when his hand brushed against something small and square. A look of confusion passed across his face, followed by a wide smile that dashed away his unshed tears.

Bringing out the small grey box that he always carried in his pocket, Sam showed it to his friends, and asked them what he should do with Galadriel’s gift. Their advice conflicted: Pippin wanted Sam to let the wind scatter the soil, while Merry suggested using it all in a small garden. They all soon agreed, however, that Frodo’s advice was the most sound, and that Sam should use it sparingly, and over a large area so that as many hobbits as possible might benefit from all that grew.

“I don’t suppose there are any starberry seeds in there,” Merry said after a time, looking closely at the grey dust.

“Starberries,” Pippin sighed loudly, a warm smile upon his face. “What I would give for some more of those.”  

Frodo smiled in memory. “You and Merry ate so many, I don’t believe that you left any starberries in Lorien.”

“Frodo!” Pippin cried, insulted. “Don’t tell me you have forgotten just how many you and Sam ate.”

Sam frowned. “I hope the Lady wasn’t angry with us,” he said guiltily

“Oh, Sam.” Frodo shook his head a little, smiling. “I’m sure she was not. Why else would she give you such a wonderful gift?”

*

Once spring arrived and the Shire began to turn green once more, the Travellers gathered once more to look at all that had grown from the gift of Galadriel. They visited the Party Field and gazed in awe upon the mallorn, but after some time they moved on, anxious to see what else had grown.

They came eventually to a small wooded area just east of Hobbiton, which they were eager to explore. Pippin scampered ahead of them into the woods, hoping to be the first to discover something new.

Frodo and Merry followed behind at a slower pace, and Sam came last of all, for he busied himself in admiring each new flower and blade of grass that he passed along the way.

There was a loud shout, followed by another; it was Pippin’s voice, and it came from deep in the woods. Merry broke into a run, followed closely by Frodo and Sam, and all three raced into the woods, following the sound of Pippin’s voice to a tiny clearing made dark by the dense leaves of the trees overhead.

“Look what I found!” Pippin cried, his eyes shining brightly as he grinned. Still out of breath from running, the three hobbits looked past him, their eyes widening as they saw a leafy shrub covered with familiar golden berries.

The hobbits smiled at each other and began to laugh as they crowded around the plant and picked some starberries.

Frodo sidled over to Sam “Do you still think the Lady was angry?” he asked with a grin.

“I suppose not,” Sam declared, and smiled brightly as he gazed at the star-shaped berries in his hand.

The four friends lingered there for awhile, swapping memories and tales as they enjoyed the new life growing green around them.

Before they left, Merry and Pippin each tied several of the berries in their handkerchiefs, planning to plant the seedlings inside when they returned home. They had not needed to trouble themselves, however, for the gift of Galadriel was enjoyed in all four farthings of the Shire, and starberries were soon discovered to be growing in all the deepest areas of the woods.