Persistence

The one thing gardening has taught me is persistence. I do get discouraged when I go on my morning garden walk and see the deer and rabbits have eaten some plants to the ground. Part of it is my fault for not being diligent about spraying and spreading the deer and rabbit repellent. And part of it is living in a forest and sharing this space, and plants, with other creatures.

I’m working toward creating a native plant cottage garden. I started with bare root plants. Some survived the first winter, others did not. I know it takes at least three years for transplants to come into their own. I need to keep weeding and adding repellent to give the young plants a chance.

I still have a long list of garden tasks to try and get done this summer. We are in for a stretch of hot weather so we shall see what I can get done. Trim the dead wood from the trumpet vine. Add compost to garden beds and continue to fertilize. When I planted a few weeks ago there were no worms in the soil. Albeit, under the compost and top soil is sand so it will take more topdressings and weeding and planting to work good soil into the garden beds.

When I went out this morning to change the syrup in the hummingbird feeder, I saw a giant toad in the front garden. Toads, to me, are a sign of a healthy garden. They can’t survive where there is chemical use in the garden. And toads in the garden mean there are insects, snails, and slugs which means the garden ecosystem is becoming more healthy.

The last thought I have about persistence is writing in this space. I have not been persistent or consistent. Writing, and gardening, are my creative outlet. I need to use this space more to exercise my writing muscle. With that being said, my writing was published @stampington in #bellagracemagazine:

“In ‘Welcoming Your Wild Nature,’ from Bella Grace Issue 48, Mary Pellerito explores the quiet transformation that happens when we begin trusting ourselves enough to live more honestly, more joyfully, and more in tune with who we truly are.”

I hope to show up here more often documenting how my garden is growing and how I am growing as a gardener.