There is something so therapeutic about gardening. Maybe it's simply being outside, or the joy of being creative with what nature has to offer us. Even weeding, mowing and tidying up flower beds is stress relieving for me. I am by no means an expert gardner, but I did inherit the "genetic gardening gene". Even as a young child, I appreciated my dad's weedless lawns and pretty garden beds. I remember him showing me how snap dragons can open their mouths by pinching them gently. That was certainly amusing as a kid.
My dad's younger brother is also known to spend endless amounts of hours in his yard as well. And my dad's sister has gorgeous perennial gardens all around her house. My Aunt Sue has certainly mastered combining different perenials so that there is always something "happening", as she would say, in her gardens all spring, summer and fall. I love her color and texture combinations, and the thought and care she puts in to each plant she grows. I would say her gardening style is along the lines of English cottage gardens, but there is just enough organization and neatness to it that makes it sophisticated and elegant. Fortunately for me, she brought "babies" from her garden earlier this spring. I am happy to announce, I have not lost one plant she has given me.
Along with calling my dad and aunt with hundreds of gardening questions, I also heavily rely on
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques by Tracy DeSabato-Aust. The author resides in central Ohio, so many plants she writes about thrive in the mid-Ohio region. She also has a lot of other books that I want to check out from the library.
Since we are literally starting from scratch as a new build, the opportunities are endless. I look forward to seeing what my garden beds look like in a couple of years as the plants mature. Until then, I will enjoy planting, pruning, pinching, deadheading, deadleafing, thinning, splitting, amending, fertilizing, edging, mulching, watering and weeding all the way.
Happy gardening!
Lindsey
