Why I Garden

Finishing up after a day in the garden, a glass of wine in hand, I sit hard on the back porch chase.  Ah, I say a little more loudly than necessary.   I thought the need to express myself mattered only to me.  It’s the sound of a good day in the garden.\’a0 At the sound, Lily perks up.  She knows by the sound, I’m available.

From the moment born, Lily has loved flowers. Perhaps it’s her destiny.  A smart girl at nine, she knows I may not put a puzzle together with her, and knows I definitely won’t play card games of any kind, but she has learned to ask me to stroll around the garden, something I’ve never refused. Today is no different. Even without the taste of my first sip, I happily agree to join her.

Taking her little hand in mine, we start our journey before ever leaving the stone floor of the covered porch.   As Lily points out a humming bird and butterfly, I find I’m watching Lily as her eyes brighten up at the bold colors of the wildlife entering the garden.  Her delight is my delight.  And so we begin our evening walk

As we journey down the garden path, we pretend we are the wildlife entering the garden. We see what the birds, bees and butterflies see.   We go to plants that entice us to take our noses and bury them deep in the flower’s nectar.

We share stories of friends, foods, and flowers. This time together is uninterrupted; we cannot hear if the dryer buzzer blares or if the phone rings.  We are alone. It is our special time together.   As Lily chatters, I reflect on why I garden.

Gardening provides me relaxation, creativity, beauty, and the satisfaction of knowing I’m making a difference in the one little plot of land that is in my care.  Without the garden, the kids wouldn’t have secret spaces to venture into or value the earth in her abundance.\’a0 First hand knowledge is second nature to them.   Even though I gardened for decades before the kids came along, I now garden for us.  For these moments.

My mind comes back to the reality of Lily’s chatter as she asks me,  Do you think my hair makes my head look like a triangle?No way,  I said.  But if it did, you would be in good company, do you see the shape of the Praying Mantid’s head?  Here’s one; look closely.  And so it goes on our evening stroll.

Why I garden was submitted to M.A. Newcomer over at Idaho Gardener for a contest. Head on over HERE and give her your reasons to garden.  It was fun figuring out why I garden.

This is my second of these kind of blogger writing contests. The first was at Garden Rant for their 99 word fiction contest. I wrote
Nature’s Way, Simplified.   I didn’t win anything, but sure did enjoy writing it.

<Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook Friend’s page, Helen Yoest; or facebook Like page, Gardening With Confidence™

Helen is a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and Country Gardens magazine and she also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.