Diary of a Gardener Gardens are a work of art

The last few evenings my husband and I have traveled to my secret garden with our kombucha in hand to savor the beautiful spring weather. It is a way to help mark the end of the day and breathe in our surroundings. As I like to say “savor the surroundings” as if you were biting into a decadent piece of chocolate wanting to save every drop of sweetness. It is hard for me to just sit in my garden. I see everything that needs to be done, damage to a plant or a bloom I missed and need to take a photo of. I know I am not alone in this challenging task of just savoring the surroundings around you.

I am always on the go. I drive from job to job, back home and then out again. I enjoy being busy but when I am home, I find chores and tasks to take care of. My garden is a never-ending supply of distractions for this busy-minded gardener.

Last spring my husband and I were doing just that, savoring the evening and we just happened to hear a buzz pass our faces. At first, I thought it was a bee, but I looked closer and saw a hummingbird feasting on my firebush. We sat quietly watching as it went from flower to flower sucking the nectar from the long tubular shaped petals. Its wings flapped so quickly I could not see it land immediately. The hummingbird danced from plant to plant and then would suspend itself in midair with its wings flapping so fast, but its little body sat still.

That experience helped to remind me it is important to sit still and watch and take in all the sights and sounds a garden can bring. If you listen closely, you can hear the lizards rustling around the leaves, I hope it is a lizard at least. You can observe flowers, seeds, worms, insects, and birds fighting at the bird feeder. Normally it is a blue jay chasing off a cardinal. They can be so mean. It is important to take in the multitude of colors in every color of the rainbow. It is important to rest and savor every drop. Gardens are a work of art. Treat it as such.