Gardener's Calm January

Did you feel that?  It was the reverberations of the thousand pound holiday hustle and bustle weight that just toppled off my sagging shoulders and onto the floor! Can you feel it too?  The sense & knowledge that just around the corner, you’ll be able to reclaim some sense of normalcy and structure.  Did you hear that?  The sound of the cork flying off the top of my 2002 Premier cru Red Burgundy & the slow ‘clug, clug, clug’ as the delicious aroma of the soaring plumy and violet infused nose replete with soft notes of earth, leather and smoke fills my favorite glass.  ‘Ahhh…’ That’s me, falling back into my fluffy couch cushions, relaxing, savoring and loving this quiet moment.

Personally, January restores a sense of ‘calm’ back in my life. The nursery isn’t as busy as warmer months & my garden is taking a well deserved break; I can actually slow down for a short while. I embrace this time to reflect on the past year and feel boundless optimism about the upcoming year. Based on the media rush of goal setting articles & ‘sticking to it’ initiatives, I know I’m not alone! The true question is… How many of us really end up achieving those goals? So here I am, standing tall (okay, sitting quietly with my wine, but feeling tall!) vowing to make this year different... Better… I’m recruiting (or encouraging) you to stand tall with me.   Do something beautiful in your life, something beautiful for you.

Not many of us grew up learning how to garden, me included.  Unless our parents gardened, it wasn’t high on the priority list of what we needed to know before going off on our own (such as how to wash clothes, cook, and check the oil in your car.)  Let’s face it, when put in the same light as basic survival tactics; gardening doesn’t seem as fun or en vogue. We don’t need to talk about staking your tomatoes or why your hydrangea isn’t blooming. You can easily grab that info via Google or your iphone.

We’re going to talk about the Gardening of today. Easy. Fun. Rewarding.  Gardening can be done anywhere, on any scale and within any budget. We’ll talk short cuts or ‘aha moments’ that will make gardening and outdoor living all about your personal adventure towards beauty.  I sometimes hear women say they don’t know how to garden. Yet, I’ll bet these same women have a colorful potted plant in their window or a few potted herbs in their kitchen. Let me be the first to say… That’s gardening, girlfriend and You Are Doing It!

....Frances Grossman