The Patience to Grow

My grandmother did not know how to drive a car. She spent most of her life relying on my grandfather and her in-laws to take her grocery shopping, to the department stores and to pick up the mail. The same was true in regard to attending church. For Sunday morning and evening services, as well as Wednesday night prayer meetings, she walked approximately a mile to her in-law's house, rode the rest of the way in her sister-in-law's car to avoid a group of rampant dogs which ran the little dirt road that led to the church, and often times walked back home after services were over. Having been raised in a traditional Christian home in South Carolina, all of this walking to and fro was done in a dress and stockings. To say that my grandmother was a patient woman would be an understatement.

Patience is an admirable quality to have. By definition, to be patient is to possess the ability to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.  When we practice patience, we reap a life that is less stressful and more focused.

For gardeners, patience is essential. Flowers, vegetables and herbs need time to grow, bloom and acclimate to their surroundings, and the process is not one that happens overnight. In other words, a seed that is sown today will not be a plant tomorrow, or even the next day. You'll have to water, weed and repeat countless times before your seeds morph into seedlings, grow into hardy plants, and eventually yield flowers, vegetables and fruits, and fragrant herbs.  In addition, unfavorable weather conditions, hungry bugs and plant diseases will often push your plants and your patience to the limit. Ergo, even with all of the right conditions, your garden may not bloom right away. In fact, it may take several years before it flourishes and produces the way you want it to. But take heart, it will happen.

As a kid, the patience my grandmother displayed in her day-to-day life was not lost on me. Although I did not fully grasp how relying on others for transportation impacted her life, the manner in which she conducted herself was and is to this day one of the best examples of patience I have seen, and I think of her often when I work in my own garden.

The Benefits of Planning

My mother-in-law used to say there was nothing I couldn't make into a decoration and hang on the wall. Although I've learned over the years that less is more when it comes to wall decor (and mother-in-laws!), I still consider myself a reasonably creative person.

In regard to gardening, I have a lot of ideas and things I aspire to do. For example, I want to harvest flower and vegetable seeds for next year's garden, plant an orchard behind the house, build a few bird feeders, put in a rock garden, put up a greenhouse, plant some bushes, and get serious about starting a compost pile. I think about these projects often -- when I'm writing, running, doing dishes and as I'm driving down the road looking at houses, yards and other peoples' gardens.

Despite my best efforts, there is one important thing missing from this long list -- organization. In other words, I need a plan. Rather than constantly thinking about a bunch of things I would like to do, I need to gather materials (rocks, seeds, dirt, etc.) and start working on a few tasks at a time. Once completed, I can start working on a couple more projects, and so on and so forth. Planning is essential for anyone who wants to become a successful gardener. And by successful, I mean not only productive, but contented.

When you have a plan, you'll feel better about the things you have accomplished, and less stressed in regard to the things you still need or want to do. Also, you will have more time to actually enjoy what you've created.

The Garden

Gardens aren't a new notion. In fact, they've been around for centuries. And whether utilitarian or ornamental, a garden is often viewed as a universal symbol of pragmatism and creativity.

To the gardener, the purpose of a garden is often twofold - it fulfills a need to cultivate and nurture the earth, and it satisfies an innate longing to produce and bring something forth from the ground.

For this blogger, gardening is an act of self-expression. It is also a passion I've had since childhood, a journey that started as I watched my grandmother plant and dig in her garden with a metal kitchen spoon. As she moved back and forth effortlessly between rows of vegetables and flowers, she displayed a sense of grace I did not understand as a child, but have attempted to emulate over the years in my own gardening endeavors.

My Grandmother