Annie's Annuals & Perennials - Newslettter Spring 05

Oh, these fabulous Spring-like days we’re having in February! Such early sun & warmth! I’m out in the garden in a t-shirt laughing & smiling, feeling blessed & re-energized by the magic that is Spring & feeling that wonderful sense of renewal that Spring gardening brings to our lives. Don’t you love it?

As a gardener, life is good in

And it’s really quite mysterious. After 15 minutes of digging or weeding, deadheading or just walking around watching how the garden has changed since yesterday, I feel much better & my blues have melted away. I wonder, why does this happen? What is going on here? Someone once told me that in just touching the soil, we are absorbing nutrients or

chemicals or something that’s necessary & healing for the body. Maybe some scientist will figure it out one day. Or maybe there are just those of us who need to touch the earth, work a garden, make things grow, to feel okay, to feel human.

the Spring. The cold, rainy days are just about gone, holiday stress is over & I’m happy to be able to go outside & reconnect with my garden. I’m happy to have “stuff” to do again. I love the smell of Spring in the air, the sounds of the birds & the evening sunset after a productive day of weeding. It’s healthy & soul-soothing. I feel connected to the season & to the moment.

Whenever I’m feeling stressed or have the blues, I tell my family or co-workers, “I’m going outside!”

It could be that’s why I love weeding so much. When you’re doing serious weeding you really have to get down on your hands and knees, touch & smell the dirt. In the early Spring it is so easy – the soil is moist, the weeds are small & they pull right out. And then, I love the metaphor of getting rid of unwanted, pesky intruders. I often wish I could get rid of yucky stuff in my life as easily as I can get rid of it in the garden. Sometimes I imagine the weeds are rude people I run into at a store, crazy

drivers, even telemarketers! A flip of the wrist & bye-bye! Maybe a tad weird, but hey, so cleansing!

And wouldn’t you like to be able to fix mistakes in your life as easy as it is to fix them in your garden? Hate that ugly plant that never grew? A couple thrusts of the shovel, lift, turn & it’s history. Now a mistake has turned into a new planting possibility! An empty spot is a beautiful thing – it invites you to envision, to plan – a fresh chance to be creative & of course to visit a nursery!

And then, getting out in the garden in Spring always brings that delicious feeling of starting anew. A cheerful opportunity for out with the old & in with the new & exciting! With just a little time & some elbow grease, we can enjoy a very different garden each year. And so, Spring gardeners are full of optimism. We say to ourselves, “This Spring, my garden will be even better!” And, of course, it’s true!