by Lydia Holley March 23, 2020
Many of us are voluntarily reducing our social contacts. This has had an unexpected impact on me. I have been able to take a step back and reevaluate my priorities. I have realized how much I miss people when I am unable to see them. Phones calls, once a distraction in a busy day, have become a joy.
I have more time to spend in my garden. Some of the chores I have procrastinated doing for several years have made it to the top of my to-do list. I have finally chopped the invading muscadine vines out of my climbing rose. Empty containers are now filled with plants divided from my own garden.
Hope is found in newly propagated vines and in starting seeds. This allows me to look forward to the future, instead of dwelling on the present. My camera is filled with photos of blooms, which soothes my anxiety. Bees busily gathering pollen remind me of the ephemeral nature of spring, that time marches on, and that this season of our lives will soon pass.
Planting vegetables may give you a sense of security. Learning to propagate plants can boost your sense of competence. Preparing planters with daring arrangements may impart a sense of accomplishment.
Read up on skills you lack. I can always enhance my knowledge of the art of pruning trees and shrubs. Try something new. It might be fun to learn to make topiaries or bonsais. YouTube channels and classes through Zoom or other internet sources are abundant.
If you are looking to fill your landscape or vegetable garden, consider going to Holder Hill Farm, 3386 Co Rd 4614, Athens. Plants originally designated for the 2020 Henderson County Master Gardener plant sale have been transferred there. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of those plants will go to the organization.
I am thankful this happened in spring, when I can busy myself in the garden, instead of during a bleak winter. When I begin to feel like Jack Torrence in The Shining, I can go outside, take a deep breath, listen to the frogs, marvel at the abundance of greenery, and a sense of contentment will come over me. I hope you are finding peace in your garden, too.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected].
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