I like to spend time in my garden. Whether it is digging a new flower bed, tending herbs in a pot, anticipating bulbs filled with spring or the latest project, a raised bed vegetable garden. Time doesn’t seem to matter and before I know it, an hour or two has passed.
What is it about getting my hands dirty that can soothe my soul? I can work at my own pace. Progress is easily measured by the weeds removed or the mulch spread. But the allure is more than what is visible to the eyes. I can experiment and not be afraid of failure. I can change my mind. I always learn something new. I can dream. I thank God for the simple blessings in life. On a pretty day, neighbors will linger to visit and catch up until the next time.
As I walk around my landscape, I know the plants by name and by a story of kindness. There are Pat’s mums, phlox, hosta and walking onions; Kathi’s fountain grass, irises and sedum; and my mother-in-law’s black-eyed Susans. Joy is naturally multiplied when gardens are shared. In my garden, there is always beauty to behold, even in the dead of winter.
Psalm 65:10-11
You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
Deuteronomy 32:2
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Snowdrops for faith 
I, too, love to keep and grow the favorite plants of my friends and relatives. Lovely post.
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Ginene, Good to hear from you! I believe that I am one state south of you. Here, the lawns have greened up and the redbuds have pinked out and the early veggies are up. It is a beautiful time of year. When you get a chance, I would love to hear what your (and your family’s and friends’)favorite plants are. The garden mums given to me are a delicate peach that spread on their own when the seeds drop. I think those are the most unique plant that I have.
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Hi Debbie, I have my grandmother’s peonies, an old friend’s grandmother’s Black-eyed Susan’s and my great-aunt Hortense’s violets. All of them are from the 1950s! I never fail to think of the people who gave them to me when I see them. It is such a lovely remeberance of them.
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How wonderful Ginene!
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Last spring, I made a comment about not having an old-fashioned lilac bush. For Mother’s Day, my DIL surprised me with one! It has leafed out beautifully this spring and I wonder if it will bloom this year. At any rate, it reminds me of her and of the thoughtful gesture.
In our front yard, we lost two mature trees within the past few years. We finally had two new trees professionally planted in the vacant spots where the old trees were. We have been unable to grow anything there and needed professional equipment to dig out the old, dead roots. All winter I’ve watched the “braced” trees and finally, we removed their “training wheels” a week or so ago. Now they are leafing out and I feel like their “tree mama,” so proud of their growth and new independence!
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Donna or “Tree Mama,” your babies will be taller than you someday!
When we moved into this house, there was a lilac bush right in front of the kitchen window. I was excited until it grew so big that it blocked the view. My husband and son hacked it down and dug it out. (A lot of work given the nature of lilac roots!) We took 8 pieces of the roots (and branches) and planted them in different areas of the yard. Some were simply planted by making a slit in the ground with a shovel and dropping the piece in. All have grown and the ones by the treeline have flower buds. I will think of your lilac as I watch mine grow too!
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