I usually give you technical suggestions on how to be more successful at gardening. This week I am going to shift gears and talk about the emotional side of gardening. I hope some of my feelings about gardening have shown through my previous technical advice.
I am passionate about gardening! Is that word too strong? My whole life has been centered around gardening. From the time I was given my own flower garden at age 9 I have enjoyed gardening. I have been sharing my enthusiasm for gardening with readers for over 35 years.
Plants are my friends. I can’t wait to get outside on a sunny day (or even a moderately rainy day) so I can communicate with my plants. It might be a tree or shrub that I planted last year that is showing signs of new growth.
It might be a fruit tree whose swelling flower buds show the promise of fruit clusters later. It might be a perennial flower that is just showing signs of new life.
It might even be for some sad, rather than happy, emotions. Something I planted did not survive.
I live in a milder climate than I used to. Some plants are not adaptable because they do not get enough hours of cold treatment. That is the case for my favorite lawn grass, Kentucky bluegrass. It will not grow where I live now.
I usually carry a pair of hand pruners and a trowel and/or hoe with me. Even with my fingers I can pull a few weeds as I go along.
I even get emotional pleasure out of weeding as I see a flower bed clean and free from weeds.
We all have failures, even the most experienced. My daughter, who was asking for help with a struggling indoor plant, later discovered the secret why all my indoor plants look strong and healthy.
She said, “I know why Dad’s plants always look healthy. When one looks bad, he just tosses it and buys a new one.”
Not quite true, but there are limits to my patience with unhealthy plants. Better to move on from sad emotions and establish some new positive ones.
Hey, I think that principle applies to other aspects of life.
Let’s see if I can think of other things I have learned about life from gardening.
A garden is a good place to go if you just want to relax from tensions in life.
A garden is a good place to get some exercise, including some stretching.
Giving a child their own piece of ground is the best way to teach them about gardening.
A beautiful landscape increases the value and livability of a home.
Thanks for letting me share my feelings about gardening with you.
Perhaps you can think of some ways that gardening has given you some emotional pleasure. I would be happy to hear from you about them: allenw98663@yahoo.com.
