GARDEN 2.0

Well, I'm at it again.  As you may recall, at the ripe old age of 62, I started to show a real interest in gardening last year.  I posted photos of my "kids" -- the tomato plants lined up on my sunny deck.  I named them, coddled them, talked to and sang to them.  (I got several golf-ball sized tomatoes and was THRILLED!)

I planted some other veggies too, in our one raised bed, and we started a fairly large landscaping project in our side yard that had been an expanse of flat lawn for as long as we've lived here.  We bought trees and shrubs and perennials.  We were oh so delighted!

Everything wintered over fairly well, I thought.  We lost a few perennials but the big (and more pricey) stuff seems pretty happy -- except for one Japanese maple I've been trying to diagnose.  I'm about to give up and take some cuttings to the University Extension Service for a consultation.  I DO NOT want to lose that tree!

We built two more raised beds this spring and filled all three of them with seeds and starts and they are growing!  I find this to be miraculous again, as if I never noticed that food actually grows from the ground rather than from the Farmer's Market stall or Costco cold room.

But upon closer inspection the other day I found that not only was the Maple having an infestation of something (spider mites?), so is my honeysuckle (aphids I think), and lupine (I suspect slugs), and my favorite Bleeding Hearts, upon which I believe a mole or vole or some such underground tunneling creature has decided to make a meal of the roots.

I went through a day of deep discouragement.  I spent almost as much time running in to the computer to diagnose the situation as I did enjoying working in my garden.  It dawned on me that this is why true gardeners are at it nearly constantly.  It's a big science project -- water and nutrients and pest control and all different for each plant!  I'm not so good at science.

We went to the local garden art fair this past weekend and I realized that what I love about gardens is  the beauty of them -- the art of the thing rather than the science.    So, I am going to find out what grows relatively easily and without too much fussing and plant lots of that.  Then I'm going to strategically place beautiful, whimsical garden art here and there for contrast and interest.  Brilliant, right?  No watering, no pest-shooing, no fertilizing….just a place of serenity and beauty.

Well, that's the plan for today.  But my lavender is about to burst into fragrant purple abundance, the broccoli is growing like crazy, the beans and peas are climbing, even the pepper plants look happy.  And the tomatoes -- I didn't name them this year, but they seem to be thriving nonetheless.

Maybe too much perseverating isn't healthy for me.  Just take a tough love approach and let nature take its course.  And plant a few works of art to delight the eye.  Yep…

At least that's the view from here…. ©