Gardening-In-Place

        So this gardener, for sure, thought her first blog of the season would be about spring and being grateful to get back out there digging & dreaming...

        Well it has turned into a whole lot more gratitude than I could ever have imagined. You see I had been writing this blog in my head for months. Now, there is so much more going on in the world that the gratitude's  are piling up. You see, last July I broke my foot & haven't been digging in the garden until today! Seems appropriate, the first full day of Spring & 75 degree temps here east coast. Sure I was appreciating my garden all summer & fall; sometimes the to do list keeps us from looking, smelling & enjoying... I was grateful all summer for timely rains that helped nourish the plants and annuals that I carefully planted in May. Today was so much more than my first dig.

        We have all been effected by Covid-19 and my prayers go out every night to everyone around the world. If we all do our part, individually, then collectively we will see this through sooner than later I hope & pray. So while sheltering-in-place, getting outside, even in the smallest of spaces is so important for our well being, our psyches. So if you are fortunate enough to have a place to dig up weeds, dream of summer plantings and perhaps have some spring bloomers right now to enjoy - well please garden-in-place!

        How did I know last June when I was tidying up my forget-me-knots that it would be a good idea to shake those seeded plants ALL OVER my front bed? Serendipity. Now I couldn't be more excited to see, instead of the usual 20 plants or so, to have triple that! Those flowers will be setting soon & will be elevating my mood with those delicate blue flowers for sure! (and every delivery person's too!) They are right alongside my hellebores which are happily emerging & blooming now like they love to do. The tete-a-tete dafs, hyacinths & crocuses are all in full bloom. Thanks to a warmer than usual winter here Zone 7, I can see that my lupines (planted from seeds from a like-minded gardening bestie) are so robust with their leaves that I may actually get blooms this year! These little things make me happy, keep me going, give me hope.

        So yes, I am grateful for this first warm day of spring & for finally being able to walk around my beds. Today, from my heart,  I am grateful for the health of those I love & the opportunity to garden-in-place! Happy Spring & keep healthy & safe gardening friends!