Why Garden?

I garden because it feels good. It produces so many pleasurable sensations on so many levels.

I feel successful at gardening. I get smiles and encouragement from others. It feels good to do something that has such a positive affect. So much of our lives are spent doing things that we have to do…usually with inadequate compensation compared to the effort and time invested. It is incredibly amazing, incredibly precious to do something that gives me back so much.

Gardening is tied into so many aspects of my life: food, cooking, friendship, sharing, health, exercise, self-expression, art, and even genealogy. My ancestors, the Clovers, were farmers, and the Gardners…well, they were gardeners. My very favorite garden tool is an old spading fork that was my mother’s. And many of the iris I grow were dug up from my father’s garden when he died. I am so grateful for these connections.

I love being able to make changes to my immediate world, my environment, in ways that are pleasing to me. I love making use of the tons of free rock that came with this property, stacking it into walls, berms and raised beds. I feel strong moving all this rock. It’s is the best-ever, free gym membership right out my front door.

A wise woman once told me, “Pay attention to what makes you feel alive.”

Gardening does that for me. It stretches my brain, and keeps me on a constant path of learning. I research, observe, analyze & record. I consider multiple options. And I give myself room to make impulsive decisions. Gardening might seem to give me the Illusion of Control…but chaos still churns in every corner.

It’s been a personal journey.

Why do you garden? Your answers may surprise you.