Very frustrating last night - I couldn't get on to the 'cat despite trying for hours....

Alan and Mmario - I think you're both right. To be any good, the song has to be understandable in a completely literal sense. So it is true that the pink does fade very quickly, the violet has a pale hue and the rose does bloom in June. We can listen to the song on that level and still find it beautiful.

It is also true that 'girl was ditched by boy and offered stability but declined it only to die of a broken heart'. Something we understand only after the meaning of the flowers has been explained.

I find the 'gardener' has more significance for me as well. He is, or could well be, the boy next door who offers stability. But I find the term 'gardener' loaded with meaning. He tends the garden and therefore has control over life and death. Could he not be fate, or God, or father time.....

Just a thought.