My New Love for Gardening

Gardens are a form of autobiography.
~Sydney Eddison, Horticulture magazine, August/September 1993

I used to think gardening was for middle aged and older women who had a lot of time on their hands.  I never thought I’d ever see myself as an avid gardener.  To me it looked a bit boring and unrewarding.  To work through a whole year to see something bloom for a small season seemed to me to be a total waste of time (especially when you can get flowers, herbs and vegetables at your local grocery store in minutes).  I think what triggered my new obsession was my need to consistently build my confidence and to become a better person overall.  I now realize that gardening also relieves my stress and slows me down from the hustle and bustle of the working world.  As a new homeowner, the previous house had burned down.  I moved into this beautiful brand new home with no landscaping, hard clay that had never been turned over before and angry ants that were ready to defend their place.  I had no idea what to do or where to start.  Quite frankly, I didn’t think I could keep even one plant alive because I used to move around a lot and most of my plants always died.  What started out as just a task to make my front yard look more presentable became a growing obsession.  Externally I knew that having a nice lawn showed other people that you have your life together (at least on the outside of the house).  I had hoped after a divorce and being a single mom that this feeling of having it together would leak into the inside of my new home. I don’t know how many times I have rode past a beautiful home or a mansion with their manicured lawns, sprinkler systems and thought to myself, “they must really have their life in order.”    And maybe they didn’t, but the thought always made me feel good and gave me motivation.  I started to feel like everyone was watching that poor corner house that burned to the ground and had even had many people come by and talk to me about it.  Inwardly, I was looking for the confidence booster that would make me feel brand new every time I pulled into my driveway.  With a freshly cut lawn and beautiful flowers greeting me at the door, I wanted to feel good knowing that I was the one who was responsible for it all.  I also wanted to learn how to garden because I think gardening has a perfect correlation between you and your ability to nurture.  A good gardener has a special aura about them…. they are patient, caring, attentative and detailed.  People who go about their day, absorbed in paperwork and deadlines don’t have the time to stop and smell the roses let alone to plant them and grow them into fragrant blooms.  When you pay attention to your garden, it shows that you have what it takes to bring something to life and LIVE fruitfully.  Just as children, flowers must be nurtured, not just raised.  I wanted to feel like everything that I touched grew and prospered.  Now I am able to prove that just as much as I can nurture my own children, I can also nurture zinnias from their tiny baby seeds into full grown blooms.  It feels good to know that I care enough about even the simple things in my life, especially gifts from God, and these gifts flourish around me as if they like my company :).  And in return, my garden gives me a beautiful view, sweet fragrance, food to eat, richness between my fingers and the sound of buzzing and chirping all around me.  Now that is definitely well worth the time and energy all year!