Preparing the soil

A new month begins and what better way to spend it than in the garden planting and preparing for new growth. This is the season of fruition and as we sow so shall we reap. Thus, much time is spent feeding, watering, mulching, trimming, and encouraging each plant as an expression of love for all God's creations and as a gift back to Him for all the many blessings I receive.

Three new roses are added, a golden brush, and perennials in many colors. The iris stands proud and tall while the Japanese ornamental bamboo stands light and whimsical. I talk to the bare roots praising them for each nub and leaf they sprout that they may feel challenged to the fullness of those roses in tubs that already had a head start.

The last two roses I bought already had flowers in bloom and new buds soon to follow. My neighbor is surprised how well the new pants and the wild sage and rabbit bushes look together. He pulled all the natural bushes of the area out of his yard and his hill is bare except for the aspen and wee pine he planted.

He keeps a watchful eye on all I am doing from the terracing, to the planting. The blooming from a large variety and array of plants he never thought to mix together. Both he and his wife come down my drive to look up on the hill and see its transformation.

At first, he would tease and discourage, but now he compliments and encourages. People often think a woman alone cannot create a garden by herself, especially one that has the added challenge of a steep hill, but I am not alone.

The angels are beside me as well as the memories of helping my father planting in my youth. His guidance lives on as well as his love of roses and creating a thing of beauty out of bare dirt.

Gardening is like food to the spirit not only for the one planting but for those who pass along the way and are circled by the beauty created. Even the birds come to sit among the plants and appreciate. To look for a nibble in the newly sown dirt. My garden a heaven to butterflies too. All started by simply preparing the soil.

04012001