This New Year's I have a stack of books that I'm enjoying:
"Thirst" (poems by Mary Oliver)
"Traveling Mercies" (Anne Lamott)
"Keeping Faith" (Jodi Picoult)
"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Robert Ludlum)
"Moby Dick" (Herman Melville)
As long as I have books to read, it is a good year.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas Eve walk in my garden
I take a subscription to "Fine Gardening" which is the best periodical on the market for gardeners. I like it because it gives more than just glossy photos of gardens, it also gives a map of what makes up a great garden along with expert tips. Additionally, the articles transcend more than the usual garden "how-to's" even giving advice on creating what I call "sacred space".
Still, my favorite magazine arrives about the time I feel sucker-punched by my garden and this past week was no exception. Gardening is like parenting, wimps need not apply and I have been feely particularly grumpy regarding my garden of late. This past year was harsh because of the lack of rain fall and I have determined that I will add nothing to my garden this year until I have sufficient water that can sustain the life that I try to keep going.
I ignored the publication for several days, excusing myself because I was busy with holidays and such. But I was really angry at my garden for many reasons. First I was angry that it didn't look like the gardens in the magazines. My husband's reply didn't help. "What, you think I'd be mad at you because you don't look like the girls in Vogue?" I stomped outside to think about it some more.
I was mad at my garden mostly because of the tremendous disappointment it had become. After months and years of watering and care, this past year it looked weedy and untamed and I had given up in late June, cursing the moles and the bugs and the bermuda worse than ever before.
As I browsed the gardening magazine I came across a really terrific article that may help save me: "6 Essential garden elements" and as I read the article, I remembered that this is why it's good to have expert opinions to guide you -- when you are most discouraged is the time for someone who's been there before to help you along. Here are the Six Essentials:
1 - Shelters: structures such as arbors, pergolas, gazebos.
2 - Ornamentation: decorative embellishments such as sculptures, found objects or arranged beach stones.
3 - Pathways: areas used for passage that direct the visitor and influence the experience
4 - Water: features such as ponds, streams, fountains or birdbaths used to stimulate the senses
5 - Gates: garden entry points or portals that indicate a beginning and end.
6 - Borders: physical boundaries - such as fences, walls or hedges that divide spaces.
What is exciting about these components is that they can be on a table top or an acre of space. Gardens can be wherever they need to be and I'm a believer that there needs to be more.
Valerie Easton, author of "A Pattern Garden" also wrote in this article that a "garden is a metaphore for change" which is why I enjoy walking my garden at all seasons. Seasons are a benchmark for change and there is no better way to find that personally or organically than in a garden.
Still, my favorite magazine arrives about the time I feel sucker-punched by my garden and this past week was no exception. Gardening is like parenting, wimps need not apply and I have been feely particularly grumpy regarding my garden of late. This past year was harsh because of the lack of rain fall and I have determined that I will add nothing to my garden this year until I have sufficient water that can sustain the life that I try to keep going.
I ignored the publication for several days, excusing myself because I was busy with holidays and such. But I was really angry at my garden for many reasons. First I was angry that it didn't look like the gardens in the magazines. My husband's reply didn't help. "What, you think I'd be mad at you because you don't look like the girls in Vogue?" I stomped outside to think about it some more.
I was mad at my garden mostly because of the tremendous disappointment it had become. After months and years of watering and care, this past year it looked weedy and untamed and I had given up in late June, cursing the moles and the bugs and the bermuda worse than ever before.
As I browsed the gardening magazine I came across a really terrific article that may help save me: "6 Essential garden elements" and as I read the article, I remembered that this is why it's good to have expert opinions to guide you -- when you are most discouraged is the time for someone who's been there before to help you along. Here are the Six Essentials:
1 - Shelters: structures such as arbors, pergolas, gazebos.
2 - Ornamentation: decorative embellishments such as sculptures, found objects or arranged beach stones.
3 - Pathways: areas used for passage that direct the visitor and influence the experience
4 - Water: features such as ponds, streams, fountains or birdbaths used to stimulate the senses
5 - Gates: garden entry points or portals that indicate a beginning and end.
6 - Borders: physical boundaries - such as fences, walls or hedges that divide spaces.
What is exciting about these components is that they can be on a table top or an acre of space. Gardens can be wherever they need to be and I'm a believer that there needs to be more.
Valerie Easton, author of "A Pattern Garden" also wrote in this article that a "garden is a metaphore for change" which is why I enjoy walking my garden at all seasons. Seasons are a benchmark for change and there is no better way to find that personally or organically than in a garden.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)