On a recent tour of gardens, the phrase I heard most often was “it’s a work in progress.” To which I replied, “every garden is.” It reminded me of a phrase I heard lately from the principal of my nephew’s elementary school. She asks the kids recite the following:
Do what you can
with what you have
in the time you have to do it
in the place you are
Hostas that need to be moved. The ducks devoured them soon after this photo was taken.
Gardens are not places to feel ashamed, embarrassed or inadequate. They are not places of apology or excuses. They are alive and always growing and changing. Plants will always need to be added, moved, cut back, or removed altogether. Share your garden with confidence and love, not reluctance.
There are ugly spots in my garden, just like in your garden. I’m losing battles with pests here and there, but winning big in other spots. My garden is a wild jungle of projects that vary in quality and lessons learned that range from big to small.
My continual battle with aphids
This summer, as you invite friends and family into your garden spaces, erase the phrase “it’s a work in progress” from your vocabulary. Celebrate the wild, untamed spaces rather than apologize for them.
When I would go on open garden tours with the Hardy Plant Society it was also emphasized not to pick anything…ones weed is another’s flower!
This totally resonated with me. I love that quote at the top – I wrote it down and put it in my office.
A couple years ago there was all this talk online about “ugly gardens” in the gardening world and it made me grateful that most every garden is a little wild, has some secrets, and is imperfect. Just the way it ought to be. π
This was exactly what I needed to hear. My husband and I were just talking today about needing to rip this out, move that over there, plant something in this spot . . . and getting totally overwhelmed.
And yes, that quote is going up in my office, too.
What a lovely sentiment. I’ve been doing this long enough to accept that I have successes and failures and things that aren’t quite turning out. I got many compliments on my garden last year and was rather pleased with myself. This year I have a puppy that digs up things and stomps on things, but I knew it was going to be like this. She’ll more than pay back the damage by keeping deer, raccoons, and rabbits out of the yard in the years to come.
I wholeheartedly agree!