When we first arrived here I gardened
and
I tried very hard to make the woods and fields park like
which it sort of looked for a time.
Nature is a tough taskmaster
and what I cut down and claimed for mine,
she put back in spades.
Each year I would cut and re cut the same trees, vines~
landscaping the woods and fields into my concept of parkland.
I am tired of fighting mother nature.
How stupid of me to feel I can truly tame this land, the wild
and cultivate such a vast space.
Others work hard making their lawns garden space pristine on .25 acres.
I have 80 acres woods, meadowland
trees, rocks, grasses, wildflowers, etc.
We are, all us gardeners, fighting a battle of sorts.
We play God decided what goes, what stays and what to drag in.
Nevertheless and meanwhile Nature remains in charge.
Nature fills voids.
You take out grass and make a garden bed and nature throws in weeds
which thrive
because "weeds" those unwanted flowers, grasses, plants
they belong
and they are strong.
We bring in something that does not belong and mother nature kills it off.
Silly us, thinking we can fix this.
We tear them out and tear them out and TEAR THEM OUT
Unless we do those chemicals which may KILL them off, we are sure
to lose the battle, the war.
Has any gardener ever had a weed free garden and should they?
I am not competing anymore.
I shall tend my gardens, keep my trails open, my paths mowed,
but I shall not beat myself up trying to make the land something it is not.
I am letting those thugs of plants take over and it looks rather nice.
Those that can't cope have disappeared.
Nature is doing her thing and I am assisting.
I guess I am making peace with nature
having learned by experience that I the mere human
and really a mere spectator, perhaps a helper, but definitely
I am not in charge here.
In the meantime, wildflowers abound ABOUND
in the fields, in the roadways, in the woods and in the bog.
80 acres plus the neighbors 180 acres, plus the 5000 plus bog
gives me nature at its best, a big full menu
of what grows in this corner of the universe.
Right now we have dandelions, buttercups, and wood anemones, starflowers,
violets of all colors, strawberries, wild azalea, wild rosemary.
The list is never ending as they bloom on one side of us early, anther side late.
One dies back and something new appears.
It is dazzling and overwhelming
and the very best is it is free.
It is nature showing me her gardening skills.
Look this grows in the wet dark places
and look along the roads in the sand, this thrives.
I enjoy.
I just take it in and I am grateful each day that I walk this land.
I am more and more amazed and awed
and oh my isn't that easier than the cost of buying stuff
and the work of keeping it tidy to humans' garden standards?
There is room for both, civilized, parklike and wild,
but of late I prefer to shift
to gardening minimally
some veg, some bulbs, some annuals, some perennials
and some trees and shrubs
BUT
I shall definitely let nature do the real work
of decorating the 80 acres.
