Beginnings

One of the interesting parts about gardening is watching other people begin to garden. No two people are ever going to garden in the same manner …nor would we want them to! However, it’s interesting to decide what gardening knowledge of your own to pass along first … and next … and next.

Do we tell of our never-ending battle with weeds? With critters? With attrition? No! Not first!

We recall the smell of the lilacs …

… the thrill of the lilies...

… the magic of the first aconites...


We hope the other person experiences quiet morning sunrises while communing with dewdrops on blossoms and gossamer webs thrown across paths through secret blooms.

We hope their morning coffee is sweeter when consumed through smiling lips.

And yet, there needs to be the practical knowledge about how to begin and how to proceed. A friend of mine said, “I’d like to have a garden, but I don’t know how to do it. How do I start? Where do I get the plants? What do I have to consider?” She’s an extraordinarily honest person. Most people would not say those things out loud, although everyone has had moments of thinking such things – or parts of those thoughts.

On our website (http://www.cottagegardencompanion.com/) we will soon dedicate a portion of the information specifically for the beginner, and I guarantee that every experienced gardener will read it too – to see if they agree or, indeed, know that same information

And this week, I’ve been installing a garden exactly as I have done at several of our houses – with the rank beginner in mind. I began with a plan and a list of plants.

We dug (“we” means my husband, Dave), amended, and planted the plants.


And ultimately, we’ll write about the mental – as well as the physical – process.

It’s been fun!