Gardening is a practice of managing expectations, anticipating outcomes, and cultivating hope. This resonates in an old rhyme for seeding, “One for the mouse, one for the crow, one for the ground, and one to grow”. Gardeners know that as you invest time and energy into each plant, you will forego some to the small critters, some to the birds, and some to the soil.
We understand that gardening as a process is far more beneficial and therapeutic than outcomes and results. We work with a lot of gardeners, from experts to beginners and we are always learning new ideas to improve our gardens and their resiliency.
There are many types of gardeners and regardless of the style, we all experience our gardens as somewhere growth and hope are nurtured. We anticipate the next season when the first snowdrops will peak out, and hope for an early summer peony bloom, long-lasting hydrangea and finally embracing fall when the burning bush turns flame red. This growth and perpetual cycle inspires and encourages every gardener to continue each season and year.
A garden, no matter the size, can present a soothing space to reflect and appreciate. The demands on a gardener can be to weed, water prune, and then sit back and enjoy their effort. Spending time with plants and watching them perform through the seasons is restorative. Gardeners rarely feel guilt or anxiety resting in the winter months as they know Spring is coming. As we walk around our gardens in the low light of December and January, we can remember what performed effortlessly and what struggled through the seasons.
The gardener embraces the winter months as a time to reflect and plan. The winter offers time to research and consider areas of the garden that might be ideal for a change in purpose, changing lawn areas to mulch with seasonal bulbs, planting a thyme lawn, adding in some trees, or a compost area. Maybe a rain garden, a permeable patio, or raised planters? Gardeners see the winter months as a chance to catch up on reading and learning old and new ideas.
As these winter months descend in our gardens, we remember Spring is coming and we thank all the gardeners out there for your hands in maintaining green spaces, planting trees and shrubs, choosing native when possible, reducing non-permeable surfaces, leaving an area unkempt for wildlife, and participating in a global effort to become more climate resilient enhancing our biodiversity one garden at a time.
Learn how you can design your climate-resilient property with Parklane’s 5-week mini course starting on February 6th, 2024. Further details at parklanelandscape.ca
