"april hatH put a spirit of youth in everything." -Shakespeare
It is April in the Garden and by and large we are growing old disgracefully together. I have been working at this Garden for 36 years now. I know every inch of it and recognize how it looks in every season. I know its weaknesses and accept them because this Garden is loved beyond measure. To be a Garden there must be a gardener. Without a gardener nature would do its thing very quickly and all would be lost.
The garden in Spring is a sensory experience. It is as much about the feel of the soil, the smell of the plants, and the sounds of the birds as it is about how things look. Spring needs no justification or explanation. It rises in the blood, arrives in the wind and streams in with dawn lights. More than anything else, in Spring, life in every shape and form, sings its song.
One of the great luxuries of Spring is lying in bed at dawn listening to the coos of the mourning doves. The soft waves of the coo sifting through the morning light is the most evocative and safest of all sounds.
It is in Spring with the whole gardening season spread out before me that I come to realize that gardening is not about its end result. It is the doing that really matters. Gardening, if it is to be truly satisfying, requires some sense of permanence. Roots matter. The longer you stay put, the richer the rewards.
“Optimism is the essential tool in the GARDENER'S toolkit.”
A garden gives me the very best chance I have of fitting ourselves back into a world that cities make me forget. A garden locks me into the slow, inevitable rolling out of the seasons, cycles of growth and decay, the lengthening of days and the shortening of shadows.
"The real point of a garden is to increase the value of our lives." (“Garden Quotations - Old House Gardens”)
garden gives pleasure, instils calmness, grafts patience into my very soul. Gardening insists I slow down, helps me forget about worries and keep those things in perspective. Gardening teaches me to be observant and how to look at things. I become less inclined to jump to quick conclusions.
Gardening hones my senses. I can begin with the sound of the dampness creaking through the soil and I smell the fragrance hovering in different guises over the leaf mould bin. In the garden I am never lonely. Neither am I ever bored!
The garden is deliciously inconsistent in it particulars. The light falls upon it and reflects from it in a different way every day. Breezes move through from various directions. The arrival and disappearing of seasonal plants happen faster than this old gardener can keep up.
One of the best things a garden teaches is a generous gentleness. Toward ourselves. Toward nature. Toward those around us. Toward the world.
Mulching: The Gardener's Spring Companion Spring is the season of mulch—a gardener's gift to the soil. Mulch refers to a layer of rich, organic matter spread across the surface of flower borders and vegetable beds. Unlike compost or fertilizers, mulch isn't mixed into the soil; instead, it remains as a protective, nourishing blanket. In garden borders, mulch serves three invaluable purposes, each achieving remarkable results with minimal effort:
Weed Suppression: Mulch acts as a natural weed barrier, significantly cutting down on the time and energy spent weeding throughout the year. For seasoned gardeners (and our knees and hips), this is welcome news!
Moisture Retention: While the mulch itself may dry out in the summer heat, the soil beneath stays cool and moist. This ensures plants have steady access to water, promoting deeper root growth and healthier development.
Soil Enrichment: Over time, earthworms incorporate the organic mulch into the soil, enhancing its structure and boosting fertility. It's nature's way of cultivating healthier grounds without intervention.
