I never really considered myself a gardener. When I was younger I couldn’t have cared less. I can remember my grandmother yelling at me because my basketball (we had a hoop against the garage at the time) would inevitably bounce over and squash something that she had been growing. And I didn’t really seem all that bothered by it.
But then somewhere along the way I decided to try my hand at just growing some basil. Not sure when or how the idea took place, but I actually found myself liking to watch things grow.
Then the green thumb bug hit me. Little by little over time I would try my luck with various easy to grow herbs. I felt accomplished as these things grew and truth be told, I preferred the ones that basically grew themselves with little help from me.
I got to share my gardening with the Ladydoc. Just like me years before, she never really had a chance or a thought to grow anything. Probably felt didn’t have the knack or the time or the space. Come to find out, she discovered that she likes it now too. There’s something zen about working with the soil and communing with nature (does dirt have to be so dirty though?) We might not be the greatest at growing edibles but we’ve had some success. We really seem to hit the mark with flowers these days. We even increased our level of difficulty by trying to grow various species. Not all were successful, but the ones that have lasted have become established and are starting to fill in certain areas of the property. My original vision was just to have something pleasant to look at after coming home from a long day at work. Come to find out, the Ladydoc seems to have a knack for arranging all different species into various pots that give the place a feeling of being alive and all the colors of the rainbow. She really is the Container Gardening Queen. I’ve created a monster as she loves the more plants we get. We have plants in the ground, plants in raised beds, and plants in various pots about the decks.
It’s not perfect. I’m not very good at weeding and admittedly it’s that fact that I find the least enjoyable, as I’m sure most people do. Sometimes I don’t seem to water things enough. There’s the antics of squirrels and chipmunks. We decided not to use harsh chemicals because environmentalism and animals and all that. I think they seem to appreciate it as witnessed by the various creatures that pay us visits daily. Strangely, they don’t seem to go after the edibles in our raised boxes – not sure why, but pleased about that. I guess we came to some sort of agreement, you’ll all get other treats, just as long as you stay away from these – – Garden of Eden anyone?
It’s funny how the little things in life can give so much joy. I do enjoy the sense of accomplishment I get when we see a flower bloom finally after waiting a few months, and I suppose the bees and butterflies appreciate it too, and it’s great to see them flit about playfully. Lately we’re trying to grow pumpkin, along with the usual lettuce, tomatoes, squashes and herbs. The pots are filled with various perennials to last throughout the season. The funny thing is we never grow basil – Ladydoc doesn’t really like it. The herb that got me started in the first place.
I’m not sure where I was going with this entry. I just wanted to share the garden love and maybe be a little proud of our tiny piece of work in the grand scheme. It’s not much, but its ours, and I think it looks nice. I wanted to showcase some of the work that the Ladydoc has done, as the place really looks nicer than anything I could have put together. She’s become better at this than I ever was! And I’m glad I could share that interest of mine with her as well, and that she could run with it, and make it better and better, for ourselves and guests to see and enjoy, and forget our troubles for a little while.