I have a love-hate relationship with my garden. On one hand I feel pressured by it because things have to be trimmed at just the right time, hoed and planted at just the right time, weeded and harvested at just the right time, preserved or used at just the right time. It’s another burden of must-do’s added to my full plate.
Am I allowed to have a full plate being a stay-at-home mom? Because I always feel like I need to justify it.
But then something like this will pop out of my garden all by itself.
Or these.
Well, I suppose I actually planted them at one point, but they just blow me over by their sunshiny cheerfulness.
And then I’m so happy when I finally plant the indoor tomato seedlings
and seed the spinach outdoors
knowing that one day these fresh organic vegetables will make their way to my table for everyone to enjoy.
So … burden.
(We’re trying to sow grass on half of this to keep the weeds at bay and reduce our vegetable garden to a more manageable size).
And … pleasure.
This is Alistair‘s tree. We planted a peach tree in his honor.
Fuzzy little buds to remind us of what once was.
So … work.
(The conifer died in this part of the hedge so we replaced it with a sturdy laurel -
- and put some backing on the fence to give us privacy until it grows).
And … delight
The buds are popping out all over the prunus! This is why I painted my kitchen pink. This is what you see out the kitchen window.
So … pressure.
(My neighbor is going to kill me if I don’t trim that bay leaf tree soon and I’m just gritting my teeth in anticipation of the annual profusion of pale pink and pale yellow blossoms side by side – I shall have to uproot that forsythia one day and put an end to this garish eyesore).
And … sweetness.
I had the idea to plant shade-loving bleeding hearts in this area behind the roses; it’s too shady to grow grass and these are sweet little things.
Pleasure and pain all mixed together is my garden. Perhaps one day I will have all the time in the world and nothing else I’d rather be doing. And then gardening will be pure delight.
In the meantime it requires getting a little down and dirty. It’s no wonder I put off painting my nails.
And put off gardening.
Really loved this post…loved the photos…and really loved that sturdy laurel!