The Zen of Gardening

     With the growing season starting to wind down I was thinking about how much I enjoy gardening. If your a gardener you get it, if your not you don't. The IT I'm talking about is in the title of this post. The technical term for Zen is: a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.  

     Another way to look at it is a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. I think probably most westerners view it as feeling peaceful and relaxed. I know I certainly feel that way when I walk around my garden. But as you know a garden doesn't BECOME all by itself.

     Many people view yard work as just that, work. I consider it a form of creating. To take dirt and make something of beauty. I have numerous posts on my blog about different areas of our yard that we have transformed.  Was it a lot of work, yes, but for me the pleasure I derive from my garden far out weighs the work that went into it. 

     What started out as nothing but dirt and weeds is now an oasis. With over thirty trees where there were none.  Flowers, shrubs, fruits and vegetables to delight all the senses.

     We get lots of compliments on our yard. Everyone marvels at how large it is and how beautiful. But the majority of people say the same thing; "I'd love this yard but it looks like too much work." Yes it is probably more work then most people would like, but it isn't near as much as you might think. My husband has a riding lawn mower which cuts down on mowing time. We use mulch to reduce weeds and retain moisture. We don't work in the garden everyday, depending on the time of year maybe 2 -3 times a week. Probably our busiest time is early spring; cutting back and cleaning beds to get ready for the new growing season.

Spring time in our yard

     Most of our plants are shrubs or perennials so the only planting we do in the spring are some annuals in pots and our vegetable garden.

     And of course at the end of summer what is better then the harvest. 

     Gardening can be good exercise. You can burn 150 to 200 calories in 30 minutes. Volley ball is 93, tennis 260, basketball 258, jogging 300-450. I was never very good at sports so I never became attached to playing any.  I do enjoy swimming (250) and bike riding (150). But mostly I walk (150-200) and garden for exercise. But what I like most about gardening is how I can get lost in the moment of whatever I'm doing; whether it's planting, weeding or pruning. It truly is a togetherness of body and mind.  

     Fall brings the beauty of changing colors but also the work (exercise of raking leaves).  And then winter covers everything with a blanket of snow giving the garden a quite beauty.

     Then it all starts over again when the daffodils tell me it is officially spring.

     If you feel the need to garden, not just work in the yard, then you feel       the zen.

A thought to ponder: "The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul."                                                                                       Alfred Austin

Participating in:Share the Joy, Through My Lens, Nature Notes, Share Your Cup, Grand Social

Blooming Marvelous

     Weather in Wyoming can be very unpredictable. This spring as been particularly good for my flowers.  The blooms have been in great profusion this year, more then usual. So how could I not share the bounty.

The tulips started things off with a nice display

The William Baffin roses are going crazy

These Clematis (Nelly Moser) blooms are 7 inches across

The crab apple tress were gorgeous. I wish their blooms lasted longer.

We have an abundance of peonies  

My creeping thyme was beautiful as usual.

The Ivory Silk lilac trees are busting out and the fragrance is wonderful.

     Even the wildflowers have been putting on a display, as you can see from the photo below. This photo was taken on one of our morning walks.

     Every day I am excited to see what new blooms have graced my garden.  That is one of the many things I enjoy about gardening. The wonder of discovery, from the first sprout of spring and on through the growing season.

A thought to ponder: "Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the                                          flower."                                          John Harrigan

Participating in:Grand Social, Share the Joy, Seasons, Share Your Cup, Gardens Galore

Spring Time is for the Birds

     One of the things I like about living in Wyoming is that we have changing seasons. After the snow finally disappears for good, we enjoy walking around the yard looking for what is emerging from its winter sleep.

Daffodils are usually the first flowers to bloom. 

The crab apple trees are in full bloom now, adding a cheerful pink to the landscape.

     I also look forward to the return of the robins, a sure sign that spring has arrived. We always seem to have one or two build a nest somewhere in our yard. In fact we have one now working on building a nest in about the same spot as the one below.

  

      This brave mama built under our eves, right outside our back door several years ago. It made for a perfect spot for us to view the progress of nest building, sitting on the eggs and feeding of the babies. I was able to get a pretty good shot of her hungry offspring. 

     We have all kinds of wildlife and many different birds in our backyard. You can see more photos of our wildlife by visiting one of my earlier posts: Who's in Your Garden. We always have an abundance of chickadees. A few years ago we were happy to see them build a nest in a bird house we had received as a gift. It was great fun watching their comings and goings.

A thought to ponder: "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."                                            John Ruskin

Participating in: Grand Social, Share the Joy, Seasons, Through my Lens, Amaze Me Monday, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday Around the World, Share Your Cup

Garden Therapy: Certifiable

     Spring arrived on the calendar several weeks ago. But now I know it's really here because everyday the grass is a little greener, the leaves on the trees are a little bigger and my daffodils are starting to bloom. I love watching my garden emerge from it's winter slumber. I've been thinking about how far our garden has come in the last 20 years. How we took it from nothing to a certified wildlife habitat and beyond.

     It's easy to become certified through the National Wildlife Federation. It doesn't matter the size of your garden, all you need to do is provide food, water, cover and a place to raise young in a healthy habitat.  We didn't start with the intention of making a backyard habitat. We just had a bare piece of property that needed to be landscaped. 

1993  Looking toward back of property before we put up a fence.

     We started by planting 5 trees and a few shrubs, and trying to decide what would be hardscape; what would be grass; where to put a vegetable garden, etc. After several years we had a nice start and things were growing well.

same view  2002

     I don't remember how I discovered the National Wildlife Federation backyard habitat program. But when I read about it I realized we could qualify. Because our yard is large (1/2 acre) I had been keeping a record of what and where we planted things. So I already had a list of plants to send them. I just needed to take a few photos and fill out their form.

2014

     There are about 200,000 certified backyard habitats. They have found that "certified habitats attracted and sustained nearly four times as many native bird, mammal and beneficial insect species as did nearby noncertified properties." We have certainly seen an increase in the number and variety of wildlife in our yard. See this post for a look at our wildlife:Who's in Your Garden?   I bet there are many gardens out there that could qualify if only the gardeners were aware of this program.

1993  back of yard 

     We now have over thirty trees (10 are fruit) and over a hundred different perennials, shrubs, herbs and roses. Many things have changed in our garden over the years. But I believe that is what makes gardening so enjoyable. My husband learned early that when I stand looking out at our backyard and say, "I've been thinking", he goes and gets his shovel. We do feel pride in our garden because the majority of what is here we did ourselves.

2014  a more recent shot looking toward back of house

     I will cover individual projects in up coming Garden Therapy posts. I hope this one will encourage you to take the first step to become a certified backyard habitat. That step starts with visiting this site: Garden for Wildlife

A thought to ponder: "A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust."              Gertrude Jekyll

Participating:Tuesday Garden Party, Outdoor Wednesnday