Check List for A Healthy Addiction
Putting the outside to bed for the winter is almost finished. The garlic is ‘nestled in’ first and foremost. Basil is hung. Once the frost hit, I finished pulling and composting the vegetable garden plants….peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, and squash. Parsley, Sage, Thyme, and Rosemary are cut back and hung to dry. The tomatoes were last to go as they tend to deliver goods to the end. Compost is piled over beds uniformly, and cardboard and mulch over walkways. Voila! Vegie garden is at rest and a beautiful sight.
In the landscape gardens
-I pulled the tender Dahlia tubers to store inside for winter.
- Mandevilla was cut back and transplanted into larger pots to sit in the greenhouse.
- I harvested seeds from some annual favorites like Cosmos, Amaranth varieties, and Cleomes to sow in the spring.
-Still constantly clipping pods, tips, and naturally beautiful accents free for the taking to fill wreath orders.
- Let the Echinacea and Liatris seeds for the Bluejays, Gold Finches, and Cardinals.
- Hydrangea have been trimmed over the past two months for brides and wreaths.
To Do Notes: To be trimmed for garlands for nieces wedding mid November: Boxwood, Dusty Miller, Russian Sage, Sea Oats, Oakleaf Hydrangea and Smoke Bushes(large burgundy foliage).
Grapes and blueberries to be trimmed in February.
It sounds like work, but for me, it is heaven.
Age has no bearing while in the garden. It is almost mystical how the passion for growing seems to overrule any aches and pains. Gardening for me is a form of expression. Therapeutic. An escape. A zone. The place to go to be in union with God and nature. And yes, definitely an addiction.
For all of you..have you tried it? Growing Flowers? Growing Vegetables? Growing in boxes, planters or plots? Growing with a partner or a child? Growing from a seed? Growing something from nothing?
Gardening is not just a physical chore. It is a state of mindful growth too.
Fresh air and exercise are just the initial benefits. Self reliance, patience, good health, stress relief, sharing, nurturing, anticipation, and motivation all lead to a life of gratitude and beautification inside and out. What’s most beautiful is that it becomes contagious, spilling out all around you, your children, and your neighbors.
Think about it…..The power of gardening…...Tilling a space, even a tiny space in your life is sure to be only the beginning of all good things!
