Garden Collections

In my gardens, I find peace, beauty, and wonderful exercise.  Whenever I feel troubled about some happening in my life, I find that pulling weeds, gathering a bouquet or picking some fresh produce is great therapy. 

Very often, after sitting quietly while surveying my gardens and thinking about the many people in my life or snoozing for a few minutes, I feel completely refreshed.

There’s no hustle or bustle, there’s only the sounds of birds singing, chirping or splashing water in the birdbath, and the antics of busy chipmunks to draw my attention from the tasks at hand.  

When I moved to my current home, there were no gardens, but there was a collection of pots, tubs, and baskets filled with perennials, shrubs, and a few small trees that I brought from my previous home.  Over time, I developed several flower beds and a small vegetable patch, arranged shrubbery groupings, and successfully planted my trees. 

My gardens represent years of hard work, yes.  They represent also my artistic nature, my respect for all things natural that do not need chemicals to help them survive, and my invitation to creatures of the wild – butterflies, bees, birds, spiders, the rabbit that munches on my Swiss chard, the chipmunk who pulls out small carrots, and the deer that obviously likes the taste of Hosta plants. 

Overall, I think of my gardens, with their additional features of assorted rocks, a large tree stump, a cement “Grandma’s Garden” plaque, and a maple burl, as representations of the wonderful variety of experiences in my life.