It's that wonderfully exhillerating time of year when many of us are in the process of implementing the plans we made over our winter hiatus from gardening. While I'm a little way from being able to carry out my plans and therefore still in my planning stages, I know that many others are out digging in the dirt already. As I read one of the five gardening books I just checked out from our local library, I thought of a few reminders that I wanted to share with you about our gardens.
1. Gardens should bring you joy, not sorrow. Don't worry about what the outside world thinks of your garden. As long as it doesn't intrude on your neighbor's life
2. When planning your garden changes, make them according to the garden aspects you enjoy. A garden should be our refuge from the crazy every day grind of a busy life, we should be able to enjoy our time in them and our work should feel like play, not a chore.
3. Don't expect perfection, because you won't get it. I don't know how many gardeners I've seen that get totally frustrated about the deer that eat all of the pansy heads. (Oh, was that ME?) A plant doesn't have to be pefect to bring us joy. Stressing about imperfections in our garden defeats the whole purpose of having a garden. I know it's hard to just roll with the punches but wouldn't it be nice if we didn't feel that everything had to be just so?
4. Gardens are as individual as it's caretakers. No two gardens can or even should be alike. What one person views as a garden, another person may not like. That's okay. We're all different, our gardens can produce a variety of niches for the wildlife that choose to inhabit them.
5. Plan your garden to suit your environment. I don't know how much work and how many headaches that keeping a simple thing like that in mind would save us. It doesn't make sense to yearn for a yard full of sun loving plants if we are limited by massive amounts of shade. If we plan our garden to fit where it will live, the garden will basically take care of itself and we can spend more time enjoying our work.
Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cindy
Do NOT Copy
16 comments:
I actually have TWO gardens, the one in my head (perfect) and the one in my yard (imperfect and very weedy). Actually, I love them both; I always plan on perfection, but learn to love the imperfect, too. I have come to terms with the weeds in my life...and in my garden
Very good advice, gardens are meant to be the escape from the daily grind.
I'm so glad I stopped by and read your wonderful reminders. About the last point-- I've learnt to curb my insane yearning for cooler climate plants, all brought about by our yearly trips to the Himalayan foothills. I stick to my heat-loving plants now and do not suffer any more heartaches.
What a beautiful post! One that I'd like to return to, read and feel good about my garden/gardening all over again!
Very insightful gleanings and ones I appreciate. However, I must tell you I've had plenty sorrow with my garden. When I go out of town and come back and find everything dead from a deep freeze-lots of tears! It sounds weird, but when you grow and nurture something, and that something is as big as a tree, it can be sad to see it die or be hurt. Lots of emotions with a garden but mainly rewards and satisfaction:)
Good advice! Best of luck on your plans!
Great advice Cinj! Gardening comes with expectations but no guarantees. It really is a test in patience. :)
Nola described my two gardens ! and the rest of the girls are so right about how they feel with their gardens. I have a lake in the back yard this year and it is shocking .. so big drainage issues there now .. but a garden is something you truly enjoy or you would not be a gardener !
Hope you have a great time with yours this year Cinj !
You've written some very wise lessons, getting to the heart of garden making. I've made great strides in learning to accept imperfections with merely a shrug. I do have to have a moment to shake my fist & cuss at the squirrels, but then you move on.
Great suggestions. I wish I'd planted all native plants when I started our garden. It would have saved a lot of watering, that's for sure. At least our entire front garden is native.
Such good advice! I get frustrated because my garden does not look as good as some others and it is so silly. My soil is poor and I cannot afford what others may as far as amending the soil and raised beds etc. so I should be happy with what I can grow despite that it is not perfect. I do enjoy it so and that should be my only thought the rest does not really matter. Thanks Cindy for the great tips.
All good reminders. Especially about it not being perfect. I always get a picture in my mind of how I want it to look, but it's not always very realistic.
Wise advice, Cinj, and thanks for sharing it! Because I have to haul each and every drop of water to my gardens in milk jugs, my expectations got realistic real fast. Now I'm just grateful for every bloom, veggie, and fruit. And if a combination works, or one of the gardens looks really good for a while, what joy!!! Can't wait to see yours this year.
Great advise. One of the best things about gardening is that it is different from year to year.
You can really write and put your words to paper better than just about anyone I know. So true what you've said and I'll try to have a better and more enjoyable attitude about the garden. I've grown pretty lax in the golden years. Maybe I'm conquering the real way to a more fun way of living. Great advice you've shared and I enjoyed reading it.
Giving up the idea of perfection has definitely made gardening more relaxing. I'm amazed by how most of what we do in our yard comes out looking pretty good. Not the way I imagined it would be but not bad either. Now the deer munching up everything in sight, that still frustrates me a little.
Hi Cindy,
I put in some veggies at my neighbor's yard. It's a nice sized area, and I thought about shaping the beds in different shapes, and making it kind of fancy, but decided to keep it simple. Also, I didn't plan it, I just planted it. It wont' be perfect, as I can't plant in a straight line, but I am hoping everything grows and produces. I will plant flowers when it warms up enough.
I like your list.
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