It’s My Garden, and I’ll Try If I Want To!

A private deck amidst the bold subtropical foliage in the author's garden. Author's photographs

Some years ago, a friend commented that she was uncomfortable around “experienced” gardeners. I told her that we are all beginners, because our curiosity pushes us from one stage of gardening into new and unfamiliar territory, and, suddenly, we start learning all over again. Many of my friends have gone through stages similar to those that I’ve identified in the evolution of my own garden. Perhaps they sound familiar . . .

All Flowers All the Time—
The English Cutting Garden:
June rain, constant deadheading, mandatory staking, the weedy look, and guilt over collapsed seedy plants quickly brought an end to this stage.

Potpourri/Martha Manqué:
All flowers in the garden have to be fragrant, edible, or match the interior décor. See previous stage for reasons this one ended.

My Garden Must Be Able to Sustain Life
(“I want to walk out into the garden with bowl in hand to collect blueberries for my cereal.”):
This tasty stage ceased after I could no longer bear waking up early on sunny summer mornings ...