Assorted Views on an Obsession – Gardening

Early March finds many gardeners beginning to create visions of the splendid displays they hope to achieve in this year’s garden. Of course, there are some who take a different approach to planning a garden. As syndicated humorist Dave Barry puts it: ” Your first job is to prepare the soil. The best tool for this is your neighbor’s garden tiller. If your neighbor does not own a garden tiller, suggest that he buy one.”

Obsession may not be too strong a term to describe the fervor of these folk who, fed up with looking out at snow-covered shrubs, curl up with their seed catalogues and dream of what could be.  In the thrall of  lavishly illustrated garden books, they somehow repress memories of the extent of work required last year. But, as Lou Erickson has noted: “Gardening requires lots of water — most of it in the form of perspiration.”

” No garden is without its weeds,”  observed Thomas Fuller, and a throng of other gardeners concur!

Another observation that rings true is: “A garden is never so good as it will be next year”; this, from Thomas Cooper, a wise man who obviously speaks from experience.  Of course there’s also the familiar refrain, “you should have seen it last week,” (anonymous, but widely quoted). Then there’s the perennially perceptive adage, “God made rainy days so  gardeners could get the housework done,” by another old favourite – Author Unknown.

But the most reliable of all these observations,  corroborated by years of personal experience is:  “Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise. “ – Michael P. Garafalo

Looking into the near future, Garden Club members are reminded that the aptly-named Iris Burke will be guest speaker on March 18 to help guide us in our planning for this year’s gardening.