garden wisdom for the year
It seems like it was just the end of 2008 and here we are coming around to 2010! This was a year when financial woes grabbed headlines. Many have lost homes or jobs and many others have felt restrictions in spending. Fear and nervousness dominate attitudes and the garden has become a place of hope. People are rediscovering food is fresher, tastier, healthier and much cheaper when home grown. Gardens have become sanctuaries of peace and harmony. And some of the old values of connecting to the land are being re-discovered.
Enjoy and learn from the garden
Water has become a serious issue with another year of drought behind us. Yet from this loss comes wisdom. People are discovering we don’t need to be stuck to the old traditions of lawns. Yard space can become drought tolerant, artistic and useful all at the same time and child and pet play areas can become part of the design. Materials that were summarily tossed before are now being recycled and new industries are growing to add recycled glass into sparkle for walkways or rubber sidewalks to cushion enthusiastic tree roots or tender knees during a fall.
There are many ways to create beauty in your garden while being economically and ergonomically wise! Ask for help from designers and consultants if you need some creative ideas.
Like our gardens, we can grow in harmony together, or we can struggle to go against the ‘flow’. I’ve found that the former is not only easier, but it’s fun and delivers great rewards. My garden remains a teacher for me. Daily, it teaches the lessons of adaptation. And it demonstrates how to learn from adversity yet to revel in the gifts life has to offer. I will try to echo these lessons to live in harmony with the other people, animals and plants in my life. And when my garden grows well, I can share the bounty. It may not be much, but it helps me remember I am a vital part of the great picture of life. And that’s enough to make me look forward to 2010 and the endless opportunities yet to come for me to create joy and harmony in my garden and out. And so I wish you all a wonderful new year filled with joy and peace and prosperity. And may you and your gardens grow strong and healthy in this brand new year to come!
Jane has produced hundreds of landscape designs, each one a unique work of art specially adapted to the client’s tastes, needs and budget. She also does on site consultations and coaching through Gates & Croft Horticultural Design. You can find her online listed under The Garden Coach Directory or check out her site at http://www.gardengates.info for more gardening and landscape design information for the greater Santa Clarita area.
During past decade, Jane has been writing landscape design and gardening articles for newspapers like the Los Angeles Daily News and local magazines like The Agua Dulce/Acton Country Journal and Santa Clarita Living Magazine. You can find over a thousand articles she’s written nationally on the Internet for the Examiner, eHow and InfoBarrel. She also continues to paint, draw, illustrate and cartoon. She is one of the featured artists published in the 2009 ‘100 Artists of the West Coast II‘ just released by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. and available in major book stores and on the Internet. Her original paintings are handled by the Orlando Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.
Contact information for Jane:
661-299-5383
