My grandfather, who I adore, is an avid gardener. For many years, George and I have tended to his garden, and have helped him every spring and fall, with whatever he needs. My grandfather has taught me so much over the years about how to garden, and the importance of being present. One of the things that I have learned is how to preserve the seeds and bulbs of plants. Take for example, poppies. When you first purchase them they are usually sold with the bulbs, but you get the seeds from them through the bulb-like portion that is left after the flower has lost all of its petals. You literally shake this bulb-like portion (when it has dried) like a salt shaker, and "Voila," poppy seeds. One of the most beautiful things that I have experienced and continue experiencing happens in late June. My grandfather has these roses. During this time, late June, they bloom. They are a very light pastel pink. The smell from these roses is intoxicating. Their petals are so soft (To say that they are silky is almost insulting to the rose). They are like soft flannel, but not as rough as flannel. When you dig down into the middle of the rose, you find out where the wonderful aroma is actually coming from. They are above and beyond my favourite flower.
Now here is the part that I wanted to get to. Like I said, every spring George and I help my grandfather out in the garden. One of the jobs that I like doing is weeding the garden. I know, go ahead, scratch your head and think that I am out of my mind. Why would I like doing such a tedious job? Well, first, it relaxes me a lot. Second, I would rather be on the ground for a few days weeding the garden to avoid having my 88 year old grandfather doing it. And finally, I get pleasure, knowing that the little amount of time that George and I put into weeding brings so much joy to my grandfather, and really, to me, it makes it worth all of it. My grandfather is always grateful, but I truly don’t believe he completely understands how happy this makes me. Gardening has a lot to do with accepting the unknown, the unknown factors that may disrupt your garden. One thing that I always do in the spring is a "wait and see" method. Some weeds, for me, are easily identified, while others, not so much. I will wait until June to remove the potential weed. Sometimes, it actually turns out that the "weed" is actually another flower, and that the seeds were dropped in the "wrong" place. Not necessarily by humans; the usual culprits are birds. My grandfather is all right with these experiments, especially since a lot of the time, the birds know exactly what they are doing. You look at a garden and see all of its splendour and radiance, but sometimes you are unable to realize its full potential until some sort of change occurs, like bird intervention.
They say that variety is the spice of life. Well, if you are a gardener, this saying is definitely a truism. It is so awesome watching your gardens grow and witnessing what good, honest, hard work can do. For me, the structure of a garden is easy to accommodate. But, my favourite garden, or should I say my favourite non- garden, is those that are wild flowers. You know, those flowers that grow everywhere and leave their beauty for all to see, not just the few. The smell can be hauntingly familiar in the heavy summer evening air. Almost calming. I believe that the scent of flowers is one of the reasons that summer evenings in Nova Scotia can be romantic and gentle. I love driving down the rough country roads on the coastline and seeing those lots where the housing structure is but a frame, but the yard is filled with wild flowers overtaking everything on the property. It is like an invasion of Mother Nature. It is so fascinating how quickly nature will reoccupy the space.
So, this coming spring, why not plant something and see how your garden grows.
As always,
Happy Does It! :o)
Now here is the part that I wanted to get to. Like I said, every spring George and I help my grandfather out in the garden. One of the jobs that I like doing is weeding the garden. I know, go ahead, scratch your head and think that I am out of my mind. Why would I like doing such a tedious job? Well, first, it relaxes me a lot. Second, I would rather be on the ground for a few days weeding the garden to avoid having my 88 year old grandfather doing it. And finally, I get pleasure, knowing that the little amount of time that George and I put into weeding brings so much joy to my grandfather, and really, to me, it makes it worth all of it. My grandfather is always grateful, but I truly don’t believe he completely understands how happy this makes me. Gardening has a lot to do with accepting the unknown, the unknown factors that may disrupt your garden. One thing that I always do in the spring is a "wait and see" method. Some weeds, for me, are easily identified, while others, not so much. I will wait until June to remove the potential weed. Sometimes, it actually turns out that the "weed" is actually another flower, and that the seeds were dropped in the "wrong" place. Not necessarily by humans; the usual culprits are birds. My grandfather is all right with these experiments, especially since a lot of the time, the birds know exactly what they are doing. You look at a garden and see all of its splendour and radiance, but sometimes you are unable to realize its full potential until some sort of change occurs, like bird intervention.
They say that variety is the spice of life. Well, if you are a gardener, this saying is definitely a truism. It is so awesome watching your gardens grow and witnessing what good, honest, hard work can do. For me, the structure of a garden is easy to accommodate. But, my favourite garden, or should I say my favourite non- garden, is those that are wild flowers. You know, those flowers that grow everywhere and leave their beauty for all to see, not just the few. The smell can be hauntingly familiar in the heavy summer evening air. Almost calming. I believe that the scent of flowers is one of the reasons that summer evenings in Nova Scotia can be romantic and gentle. I love driving down the rough country roads on the coastline and seeing those lots where the housing structure is but a frame, but the yard is filled with wild flowers overtaking everything on the property. It is like an invasion of Mother Nature. It is so fascinating how quickly nature will reoccupy the space.
So, this coming spring, why not plant something and see how your garden grows.
As always,
Happy Does It! :o)
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