Autumn Perspective

Autumn is here.  Seasons continue to change.  I look around my surroundings, and my eyes fall on my garden.  My sweet little sanctuary in the front yard. 

Since I fell in love with gardening, I've started to really take note of the changing life cycle of my leafy little friends.  I find great joy in locating new growth or a new blossom.  I get excited when I notice that one of my little treasures is bursting with an unexpected flower, as has happened this past week with my plush plant.  I can't wait until the buds bloom and I can see what is inside!  And the delight I felt when I found three unexpected sunflowers in my front garden…remnants of my summer sunflowers that were mostly eaten by birds.

There really is no rhyme or reason to my design in the garden.  I've got a hodge-podge of plants scattered through my beds.  I love going to the garden center and just immersing myself in all of the plants.  I stroll through the aisles, taking in the textures and colors on the tables beside me.  I study the height and visual appeal of the plants…what pleases me?  When something catches my eye and I can't resist…that's when the fun begins. 

I take my new purchases home…gently placing them in a waiting area in the flower bed, so that they can still get sun and water until I find a few hours on the weekend to divulge myself in this new hobby of mine.  Digging into the soil doesn't bother me.  Nor am I repulsed by the occasional earthworm that wriggles out of the dirt at me.  Mixing the soil with additives gives me satisfaction…I'm providing my new little friends with nutrients to help them succeed.  I carefully size the hole, making sure to give the roots plenty of loosened soil to grow into. At the end, a cozy blanket of mulch to protect my new little bundles of joy.  There you are little ones…be nourished and thrive.

Color in my home has pleased me, and color in my garden allows me to continue that pleasure outdoors.  Swaths of reds, blues oranges and purples mix in with the standard greens of the landscape.  Punches of color here and there, a riot of rainbow samples to break through the green.  And for only a little bit of time here and there, my garden provides me with outstanding enjoyment.  I sprinkle a little water here and there, and mix in some beneficial fertilizer, and I am rewarded with pride as I stand and look at the outpouring of color in my garden.  I just know that my leafy little friends are happy because they show me their emotions when they succeed or fail.

I enjoy the mixed feeling that my garden has.  I've incorporated my own tastes into the landscaping that came with the house.  I'm experimenting, really.  Finding out what I like and what works.  Eventually, I'll pull up most of the prior landscaping and put my very own garden in place.  Everything that I love and enjoy…things that I've nurtured and cared for.  Plants that bring me joy and satisfaction.

In the mean time, I'll be providing my little garden with a new winter blanket of fresh mulch.  Something to protect the delicate roots of my little ones until the warmth of spring arrives, and a new season of growth can begin.