A Gardener’s Journey

~

Becoming a gardener is a journey.

It is a journey of discovery; a journey of evolution.

~

~

To begin with a bit of dirt, a splash of water and a tiny seed or leaf or stem or root, and coax that living tissue into a beautiful and productive plant, is a journey, too.

~

~

A gardener begins with a question:  “How does that grow?”

~

~

And every answer she discovers leads to more and more interesting questions.

~

~

The journey lasts a lifetime.

From the first seed sown in a bit of mud as a child, to the creation and care for garden upon garden upon garden throughout one’s life; the gardener herself ripens as the journey continues.

~

~

There are salads to grow and herbs for cooking.

~

~

We plant flowers, fruit, mosses, ferns, roses, grasses and graceful trees to flower in early springtime.

~

~

There are long and twisty names to learn; and knotty, weedy problems to resolve.

~

~

We learn to shape a plant with skillful pruning.

We have soils to amend, mulch to spread, oils to spray and compost to make.

~

~

There is always more to learn, and there are always tasks waiting for us to accomplish, along the way.

~

~

Some gardeners choose to quietly tend their own gardens.  They make their journey largely on their knees, coaxing the earth into fertility and abundance.

They lay their daily table with the fruits of their devotion.

~

~

Some gardeners create something new.  They play matchmaker in their beds and breed new and better and different and healthier plants to introduce to the horticultural world.

~

~

Some design and some construct.  Others experiment with new ways to adapt to a changing environment, and find ways to increase the land’s productivity.

~

~

Some raise quantities of plants to supply to others, and create beautiful nurseries to inspire their brother and sister gardeners.

~

~

And some gardeners share what they have learned with others.  They pass along plants,  offer advice, and help other gardeners find answers to their questions.

~

~

It is all a part of the journey:  Asking, learning, propagating, teaching, sowing, amending, pruning and investing one’s energy in making something grow; making a place more beautiful.

~

~

A gardener works to heal the planet.  We create beautiful spaces for people and safe spaces for wildlife.

~

~

We nurture plants to cleanse the air and perfume it.  We plant to build and hold the soil and purify the water.

We feed our families and ourselves.

~

~

If you find yourself somewhere along this path, then you are on a journey of happiness and good fortune.

~

~

Root something; share something. 

And feel your own roots and branches expanding ever further into this beautiful world we share.

~

~

Woodland Gnome 2018

~

About woodlandgnome

Lifelong teacher and gardener.

View all posts by woodlandgnome →