Leisure, slowness, contemplation, in an age of perfused efficiency and correctness, (not for the public I might add), but they explain the greatest joys of gardening and of life. If my words can take you into the area where you can say “I’m a gardener,” then these words count for something.
Well, it’s Spring and everything is growing. Sometimes gardens grow for years, and sometimes they remain dead for years. Think of the peonies coming into bloom. It is high Spring. Remember, the garden is chiefly a place to sit in the sun or doze in the shade, or to be the background setting for the house or to have cocktail parties in.
A small place, up to an acre, the gardener is usually tempted to have a border of flowers, a few roses, a bit of lawn, a small greenhouse, perhaps a small swimming pool, a badminton court, and Lord knows what else. How do you know which plant to place where? That is the big question in gardening.
Gardening always depends on what color there is, and how much color there is in relation. To others, how much color there is hardly makes sense when there are so many. A good tip is: in general, the more brilliant the color, the less you need. In colors, as in humans, we learn there is much to be said for the modest, the pure, and God save by all, the relatively dull.
The greatest kindness you can do for a plant is to leave it alone and give it nature. A chance, give the plant a fighting chance. When you are not sure what to do in the garden, it is better to leave it alone.
Remember it is important to keep garden records forever. You can derive so much pleasure from it. When in doubt, plant the color of your choice and remember when they emerge. Remember what feels best for choosing roses. And remember the greatest pleasures and the happiest discoveries are not necessarily the first ones you see.
And remember your garden assistant, the toad that eats bugs and slugs–hundreds a year. The true gardener is not intimidated by life, the true gardener must go his way trusting his faith, righteousness, and good judgement, helping others may soon see the light, knowing that the true beauty of the garden is proportion, balance, luxuriance, and repose, and sometimes putting a sculpture in it does not work.
So, I close by saying that daffodils and lilies, tulips, peonies, roses, figs, camellias, viburnums, lilacs, rue, basil, box, yew, magnolias, oaks, and irises, too. If there is room, the true things will grow in your garden. Remember, nothing survives without sunlight. I hope you found this soul-satisfying.
