Friday, June 6, 2008

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

April 20, 2008: It's hard to believe that just over six weeks ago the garden was struggling along in a very cool, very wet spring. It seemed the sunshine would never arrive. So did the cool start hurt?

June 6, 2008: Not a chance. The garden is thriving. Hate to say it, but it is even a little out of control and overgrown in some spaces. I'll attribute that to my preference for the slightly wild and naturalized look as opposed to the fact that I sometimes ignore my responsibilities as a gardener. Realistically though, maybe some plant division is in order this fall. Ha! I'm thinking about fall just as the first major heatwave of the year hits (it arrived out of the blue, literally overnight, like a stifling, wet, blanket of smothering air.) As a gardener I would benefit from time travel. I could zip back to April to see where I need bulbs and then zip further back to the previous fall to plant them. And while I was there I could cut and hack and divide the garden back into a more tame state. Since time travel is unlikely, I'll just have to live in the moment, looking back and looking ahead at everything that could have or should have been done in my ever-changing garden.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You're absolutely right, Irena--the cool start didn't bother anything, and my garden is so, SO far out of control now, it's scary. The days I have time to work in it...it's raining. The days I don't have time...hot and sunny. Oh well. It's happy. And I'll get to it presently.

Viooltje said...

I always enjoy looking at before & after photos. Your garden is thriving just wonderfully. Enjoy it while it lasts, the rain has spoilt my greatest expectations and I should better build a canoe if I plan to garden anytime soon.

Gardenista said...

Isn't it amazing how the plants all catch up so quickly?! I think the gardener's best friend (besides time travel) is the camera, since I spend lots of time looking back at spring photos for spots for new bulbs. Of course, I spend all winter admiring the summer photos, wondering if winter ever ends. Alas it has!

Yes, the natural free-flowing plant style is a nice one!