I have gotten wonderful inspiration and encouragement from the many gardens I have visited. Being able to observe a mature specimen of my styrax obassia or hydrangea anomala petiolaris adorning a wall gives me so much palpable encouragement, and helps validate my choices.
 s |
| Strax obassia, two years on |
 |
| hydrangea anomala petiolaris just finding purchase on a fir tree |
How a fellow gardener has solved a drainage problem or camouflaged a compost heap becomes my solution too. Solutions for the ragged knees of allium and daylilies have revealed themselves on these tours. I have also, however, been greatly intimidated by the magnificent mature gardens I have seen, the large estate gardens, the meticulously groomed gardens, the notable designer gardens, the gardens of the wealthy who can indulge in their passion with total disregard for the cost of several tons of rock artfully placed, or the pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' that crowns the conifer collection. Beyond my means...but not my dreams.
The meeting yesterday was good to affirm that everybody starts somewhere...with sun and soil and those dreams. Time is the card none of us can play out of turn. I, for one, cannot expect my garden at three (barely a pre-schooler), to present like a mature dowager, cloaked in luscious billows of rosa 'Lady Banks' climbing up the gazebo with thousands of hellebores and trillium at her feet. I haven't even built the gazebo yet, and my few dozen trillium have yet to become a colony. Alas.
Meanwhile, I have my family, friends, neighbors and small "interest group" gardener cohorts to host. These people I know. They don't judge. They pat me on the back and say "good job". They troop through here like dutiful parents at school open house and praise my crude "drawings" (a new scree garden with baby succulents that have yet to spread and crambe maritima) or how lovely my prunus mume 'Kanko Bai' (I could count the blossoms on it last year) will be...in a few years. They simply wipe their feet carefully on the doormat when entering my house from the gravel path, since I have yet to lay the beautiful bluestone and flagstone entry walk in the Zen garden. Then there's my neighbor Larry next door, that I would like to screen with a 25ft tall hedge (the cupressus leylandii are growing awfully slowly). Larry works at night and sleeps in the day, so he never sees the junk, weeds, jumble of beat up old cars in the front yard and dangling rotten gutters on my side of his house. I see it all everyday. My "borrowed view" must be refined. How can I include in the directions to my garden, "next door to a dump?". Alas.
 |
| Perhaps a very tall fence... |
One day (but not today) I will publish an invitation to my garden. But you can come anytime!
