How to Create a Perfect Garden Moment! A Guest Post from Lisa Gustavson
May 18th, 2010 by Hazel
This week’s guest post comes from Lisa Gustavson. Lisa, head of the Get In The Garden blog, is an avid gardener that loves the joy of watching seeds sprout, the challenge of nurturing seedlings into mature plants, and the blessing of every harvest. GetInTheGarden.com is a dynamic and holistic blog that delivers everything from updates and articles as well as favorite books, recipes, and projects for your garden and home. Plus, the always relatable day-to-day adventures of being a wife, mom to four kids and zookeeper to three pets! Nominated for the prestigious Mouse and Trowel Awards, Lisa’s GetInTheGarden.com is certainly worth a good, long read…and daily visits back!
The moment has arrived in spring when I step back and observe the new season’s gardens. The spring chores of trimming, weeding, planting and mulching are all but completed and the luxury of enjoying the results of my labor is at hand. While I’m relaxing on the patio, walking the grassy paths and gazing out the windows from inside I picture the inevitable perfect “garden moments” that will come alive through the season. What makes them “perfect?” The answer differs for everyone, but for me there are five “must-haves” for our gardens:
Wildlife. Pastoral sheep and exotic peacocks aside, the high jinks of squirrels and chipmunks romping through beds and leaping across tree tops add a spark of life and fun to our gardens. Robins splashing in the birdbath, finches pecking at seedheads and butterflies and bees flitting and sunning themselves bring life to the garden that plants alone can’t. Providing host plants for butterflies and food sources for birds is one way we attract them. Houses for birds, butterflies and bats is another. Even the smallest garden can have a toad house or roosting pocket for a wildlife friend to find. A garden alive with flora needs fauna to feel complete!
Children. You haven’t truly seen a garden until you’ve experienced it through the eyes of a child. Their fascination in even the smallest scarlet ladybug reveals the hidden, simple wonders we sometimes miss or take for granted as we toil away pruning, watering and tending the beds. Children’s laughter drifting across the garden as they chase butterflies or their screams at discovering a buzzing bee in a bloom aren’t to be missed! Kids of all ages bring an infectious curiosity and unique energy to our garden that is inspiring! Welcome a few children to your garden for a “tour” or a “taste” of what’s growing. They may just convince their parents to plant a small garden, too.
Ornaments. Every garden needs something that says “I garden here.” It doesn’t have to be rare statuary or expensive urns (unless you prefer those) but something that echoes your personality. Build a trellis from twigs, re-purpose a found item, hand paint a sign or create custom plant labels… something, somewhere in the garden, should reflect you. A garden is an extension of the gardener. Friends, neighbors and visitors often express delight in seeing my personality revealed in our gardens. Whether it be whimsical or refined, silly or sublime…your personal touch is what makes your garden unique from all others. That’s a good thing!
Edibles. Walking into a garden and plucking something fresh to eat is a pleasure everyone should experience! Tuck a few edible flowers, herbs and vegetables into your garden…it isn’t only beautiful it’s also sensible and easy! A wide variety of mini and dwarf-sized vegetables, flowers and herbs are happy growing in pots so not even the smallest garden has to go without fresh vegetables, herbs, berries or even fruit trees! I use vegetables and herbs as I would other plants in the garden. Shapes, colors, size and fragrance add interest as well as healthy, edible delights to enjoy throughout the season. You’ve made your garden beautiful, why not make it edible as well?
Water. Almost as if on schedule the robins arrive each day at the same time to bathe until all but the last drops of water have been splashed out of the birdbath. Their duties fulfilled, they’ll hop out to fluff and preen in the warm sun until dry while nearby a butterfly alights on puddling dish set in the garden. Warm spring evenings bring the loud trilling of toads from our small pond as they glide across the surface snatching insects from the surface. Water is life for every living thing and providing a source in your garden will reward you with endless opportunities for entertainment and incredible photos!
As spring wears on and summer approaches I’m looking forward to wandering through the garden picking peas or watching our son hunt for toads while we sit and chat with neighbors and friends. The sounds of squirrels scampering up trees, birds chattering, bees humming and wind chimes clinking provide the musical backdrop for sweet garden memories alive with friends, fun and garden magic. Happy gardening!
Read more from Lisa by following her on twitter and reading her blog!
