Over the years, master gardener Paul James has read several great quotes about gardening, from famous people as well as from those who choose to remain anonymous. One of his favorites is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
Another quote that guides him everyday in the garden comes from his own observation. "The most important time spent in the garden is the time spent not gardening."
By this statement, he suggests that a gardener can learn more about his or her garden – its rhythms, its pulses, its possibilities – by simply strolling through it as often as possible. Do this at different times of the day, week and year.
While wandering through his own garden, Paul discovers that the decision he made last spring to combine the softness of a gold-leaved, pink-flowering bleeding heart with a coarse-textured, dark-green spruce – which he wasn't sure about at the time – was, in fact, a perfect combination.
He also sees that the scraggly, old dogwood he thought about cutting down late last year did deserve a reprieve. Now it is loaded with bright pink flowers.
Paul discovers that weeds in the lawn really aren't all that bad. In fact, they can be quite beautiful, add to the lawn's biological diversity and attract hordes of beneficial insects.
By taking the time to stroll through the garden, the gardener will increase knowledge and confidence in the space and forge a kinship with it. Along the way, while discovering and learning more about the garden, the gardener will learn more about himself or herself. After all, a garden is a reflection of the gardener.
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