I love gardening. And plants. And growing things. The amazing moment when seeds sprout or when I can harvest a fresh tomato or appreciate the delicate beauty of a flower – all of these things give me a thrill. But I don’t love all the bugs and dirt. I feel inadequate and hopelessly disorganized when I think of all the things you are supposed to remember to do like fertilizing and pruning at the right times, weeding, amending the soil and getting rid of all the icky bugs (aphids make my skin crawl!)
But there are some plants that are worth the effort. The pleasures I get from them make up for all the unpleasantness and elbow grease.
Lavender is a favorite- it thrives with my particular form of gardening neglect (my climate and an automatic watering system definitely contribute).
I love to see the bushes alive buzzing with bees and the fragrance is incredible. Some years if I manage to get off my lazy rear and harvest the lavender, I dry it and make sachets and other lavender based gifts.
Tomatoes are one of those plants that I just love. They are easy to grow, mostly bug resistant, and delicious! I usually stick to cherry, grape, or pear varieties.
Peonies are another favorite. Their blooms don’t last all that long, but the flowers are so luscious and beautiful that I can’t help growing them.
I also grow a variety of other flowers: roses, honeysuckle, lilies, daffodils, and tulips for the spring- but my all time favorite flower is the forget-me-not. My love for the diminutive flower probably comes from the china tea cups my grandmother has given me over the years- her favorite cup had a close-up of a forget-me-not. It wasn’t until years later that I saw one in real life and realized how tiny the flowers truly are.
I love that I can choose which plants are rewarding enough and worthwhile. I guess that is part of creating a comfortable life- choosing our priorities and being willing to do a little hard work for things that make our lives better.
