Garden Compulsion

Gardeners are a funny bunch. As a gardener, nothing in your garden is ever good enough.

People come over to visit, and ask for a tour of the garden. You are more than happy to oblige, because this is your favourite place to be, and you are pleased to share your 'happy space'. But as you walk through the gardens, and explain what the various flowers and plants are, you find yourself justifying. Explaining that, "it looks okay, but I'm going to move all the peonies over there, and am putting the hostas and lily-of-the-valley side by side..." You say, "you should have been here last week, when the lilies were in bloom. They looked spectacular. They're a bit ragged now..."

That's the compulsion about gardening. You always think you can make something more appealing; more attractive. There are SO many things you can do with your garden. That's what makes it so interesting and exciting. Checking out other peoples' gardens; looking at gardening books and magazines; thinking about your own gardening sensibilities...it is incredibly satisfying to determine what kind of look and feel you want your 'happy space' to have. And if you get tired of your garden, or have a better idea -- you can change it. And you do!

This is why I often post gardening photos on the Garden Geek which focus on only one plant or flower in my garden; they can shine on their own. I've taken pictures of my various flower beds with the intention of posting them. I ultimately decide not to, as I feel either that the sense of the bed is not conveyed effectively in the photo, or decide that the bed looks like shit and I really should revamp the entire thing.

Maybe I should get over all that and take some flower bed shots this weekend and post them. And preface the corresponding blurb with, "this bed is actually pretty messy; I plan on ripping it out next weekend and putting in a stone wall 'round that end..."