My Garden Gate – A year and a half–perhaps 2 years and a half ago
Over a year ago, I built an arbor from junk lumber, a trashed, wicker Queen headboard, and a couple of shutters. Then I planted grapes all around it. Afterward, I waited. This pattern is familiar for me. I don’t have a large budget for gardening. I make many things from scraps, and I plant small perennials, bushes, and trees–and then I wait for the later day when the garden will grow–for the day that what I had imagined before has finally evolved. When I created the above arbor, it looked odd, but I knew that the grapes would ultimately almost completely cover the headboard and the other rough lumber. The lumber and the headboard were there placed there to serve as support and to give the project a basic shape.
My Garden Gate Today
Above: My Garden Angel a year and a half ago
Above: My Garden Angel Today, July 17, 2015
No doubt, I love instant gratification more than most, but in my garden, I have learned to wait and to actually enjoy the seasons along the way. The blooms, the brilliant color, and the harvest are wonderful, but the pauses allow us time to rest, to reflect, to visualize, and to plan.
“Like the soil, mind is fertilized while it lies fallow, until a new burst of bloom ensues.” – John Dewey
I suppose that if I had a large budget and could order a finished garden into immediate existence, I would do that. I say that, but I know that in doing so, I would definitely dart past a lot of rose sniffing and dreaming that the slower route has allowed.
A few days ago, there was a great sale at my garden market. Plants were almost being given away. I loaded a large wagon with plants and while standing in line to pay, several people shook their heads and commented that I’d be sorry when I began the work of planting my purchases. Without actually thinking, I finally said, ‘But I love it.” The truth be told that if I had the money to order an instant garden, I’d miss the part of gardening that I love–the doing of it. And the doing takes time.
That being said, it becomes clear that gardening–like many other of life’s quality experiences–is more about the journey than the destination.
