- May 13, 2016 - Jardin botanique : Experience
Gardening is a lot more than growing plants: it’s cultivating life! And whoever cultivates life has to demonstrate patience and tolerance. You’ll be rewarded for it, because those qualities will open up a world of discoveries.
Cultivating patience
The processes of plant germination, growth and flowering need time. And if that’s true for any plant, it’s much more so for shrubs and trees. Even if we live in a world where hustle and speed have become the norm, a garden or a landscape still can’t be expected to reach full maturity and display all its splendor overnight.
The idea of growing a garden involves slowing down and taking pleasure in seeing a young sprout appear, in anticipating the opening of a bud or a flower… Like watching a child grow, you can linger over the contemplation of a garden as it blooms in the course of the season and evolves as the years go by.
Cultivating tolerance
To cultivate life, you also have to be able to put up with little imperfections, the presence of weeds, insects and animals. A garden is a little “ecosystem” providing a home for living beings that interact with one another. We mustn’t panic when we spot a chewed-up leaf, or get alarmed at the sight of a bug. Moreover, forget the popular belief that the presence of insects in a garden is harmful. The great majority of insects are harmless, or even beneficial.
Do some tests
Many people would like to lay out a perfect garden right off the bat or have a single solution to all their problems. But when you work with living organisms, you have to perform trials and tests, observe, and make adjustments as needed. And never have doubts about doing your own experiments or innovating. You even have to give yourself permission to make mistakes. That’s how we learn.
Don’t get hung up
If a plant is always sick, infested with insects or obviously struggling, it’s probably because it’s not enjoying the right growing conditions. Don’t waste your time on it. It simply doesn’t belong in your garden. Replace it with a plant that’s better suited.
Observe and discover
If your garden is well planned, diversified and healthy, it will inevitably attract birds, insects and other small animals. In other words, gardening offers an outstanding setting for observing life. Plus, what an incredible opportunity to make discoveries as a family!
Ultimately, you’re not making a garden for the neighbors, you’re doing it first and foremost for yourself, to attract nature and delight in it. Don’t do things on the run: slow down and enjoy!
Happy gardening, everyone!
