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i have found a lovely, much needed, new perspective on my garden. my front garden is a polarizing spot. people either stop and tell me how lovely it is in all it's natural, herb-y, uncontrolled beauty. or they glare at me or at the garden and consider it sloppy and disgraceful. and for the last couple of summers i haven't spent much time in it. i've been busy in the studio and garden time came last. so it was even more overgrown than ever. i dreaded my garden and even felt the formidable weight of obligation. i didn't trim or weed and i started worrying that i may need to redesign my garden to be of the low maintenance variety. 
but last week i found the truth about my beautiful expanse of green in front of our house. the truth i knew for most of it's ten years, but that had been lost for the last few. i love my garden. and it is my place. it is the place i go to spend 10 minutes or an hour or an afternoon. as much time as i have. as much time as i want. it's not a job. i am not trying to create something for others to admire. my garden is clumps of herbs and rows of lavender. the dandelions and baby trees that come along, i try to keep to a minimum. but if i don't have the time or inclination for one week or even for a month, it means nothing more than i just don't have the time. it is still my own version of verdant beauty. the process, the individual herbs and flowers, the scents, watching the queen anne's lace start taking over everything in late july, finding little vignettes that i love and having to run in and grab my camera, talking to neighbors and strangers as they pass........ it is all of this that makes it my lovely place to putter in the sun.
i have found a lovely, much needed, new perspective on my garden. my front garden is a polarizing spot. people either stop and tell me how lovely it is in all it's natural, herb-y, uncontrolled beauty. or they glare at me or at the garden and consider it sloppy and disgraceful. and for the last couple of summers i haven't spent much time in it. i've been busy in the studio and garden time came last. so it was even more overgrown than ever. i dreaded my garden and even felt the formidable weight of obligation. i didn't trim or weed and i started worrying that i may need to redesign my garden to be of the low maintenance variety. 
but last week i found the truth about my beautiful expanse of green in front of our house. the truth i knew for most of it's ten years, but that had been lost for the last few. i love my garden. and it is my place. it is the place i go to spend 10 minutes or an hour or an afternoon. as much time as i have. as much time as i want. it's not a job. i am not trying to create something for others to admire. my garden is clumps of herbs and rows of lavender. the dandelions and baby trees that come along, i try to keep to a minimum. but if i don't have the time or inclination for one week or even for a month, it means nothing more than i just don't have the time. it is still my own version of verdant beauty. the process, the individual herbs and flowers, the scents, watching the queen anne's lace start taking over everything in late july, finding little vignettes that i love and having to run in and grab my camera, talking to neighbors and strangers as they pass........ it is all of this that makes it my lovely place to putter in the sun.
