Spring has officially arrived and that
means work has once again begun in my yard and garden. This brings
with it a certain amount of excitement and an equal amount of dread.
When Hippie and I started house hunting six years ago we were not looking for a large yard or flower gardens. It just so happened that I fell in love with a home that came with those things.
The first year we lived here it was fun
to have gardens. Every day was a new discovery of something blooming
somewhere. Other than cutting flowers for bouquets and watering the
few annuals I planted, there didn't seem to be much work to be done
at all.
Then came the following Spring. First, a late freeze killed or damaged several plants. Then these things called weeds started showing themselves. Saplings began popping up in the middle of flower beds. Invasive plants began spreading and multiplying at an alarming rate. I put up a good fight but, by the time summer came along, all I really had to show for it was several piles of brush and a body covered in bug bites.
It would get a lot worse before it got better but, five years later, I finally feel like I am starting to get the hang of this gardening thing. Along the way I have read a lot of gardening books and consulted a few knowledgeable gardeners but the most difficult lessons have had little to do with sunlight, soil or fertilizer.
Throughout my life I have struggled to learn patience, to realize the value of perseverance, to surrender control and to accept imperfection. I suppose it is no coincidence that gardening has turned out to be a master class in these practices. And now it appears that school is once again in session.
Then came the following Spring. First, a late freeze killed or damaged several plants. Then these things called weeds started showing themselves. Saplings began popping up in the middle of flower beds. Invasive plants began spreading and multiplying at an alarming rate. I put up a good fight but, by the time summer came along, all I really had to show for it was several piles of brush and a body covered in bug bites.
It would get a lot worse before it got better but, five years later, I finally feel like I am starting to get the hang of this gardening thing. Along the way I have read a lot of gardening books and consulted a few knowledgeable gardeners but the most difficult lessons have had little to do with sunlight, soil or fertilizer.
Throughout my life I have struggled to learn patience, to realize the value of perseverance, to surrender control and to accept imperfection. I suppose it is no coincidence that gardening has turned out to be a master class in these practices. And now it appears that school is once again in session.
Great post! I struggle with gardening too and have the same love/hate relationship with it. Living at altitude definitely adds to the challenges for me! But I do love being surrounded by flowers in the summer. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Debbie. Good to know I am not the only reluctant gardener. The flowers do make it all worth it. :)
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