Winter is garden planning season, that precious window of time after the bustle of the holidays and well before the first spring plantings. It’s a quiet time of year when I easily find myself fantasizing over this year’s garden. Of course, the fantasy and reality of my garden experience are two very different things, but that doesn’t discourage me in the least. Over the course of many long winters, I still remain a hostage of my garden dreams.
If I could choose the perfect place to bask in warmth, beauty, and peace, it wouldn’t be a tropical island. For me, the ultimate vacation is in my mind, where I wander blissfully amongst all my favorite flowering friends. In my garden dreams, the sun is always shining but it’s never too hot or humid, and all the plants are glowing with health and vigor. Everything is blooming and fruiting, all at once, for there are no boundaries of seasons here; there’s only the magical garden of continuous bloom – my fantasy Eden!
If I didn’t have my garden dreams to hold onto, I doubt any real gardening would ever take place because, once spring arrives, there’s a continuous battle going on just outside my back door. Last year alone, I struggled with voracious deer, rabbits, and voles, all of whom consider my garden a five-star restaurant. Insects also do their share of damage, leaving once beautiful plants shredded, their colorful blooms in tatters, while mysterious blights and fungi turn fruits black with rot. The harsh reality of gardening is that all the life forms in your neighborhood are looking for a good meal and you’ve just set a welcoming table!
In spite of the many setbacks and losses I experience every year in the garden, I soldier on and take heart in the battles won! By late July, most of the vegetable plants have grown quite large and vigorous, thus better able to fend off any four-legged ambushes. Beneficial insects flock to the echinacea, coreopsis, phlox, and catmint, waging their own quiet war on my behalf. The worst of the garden assaults are over and the survivors have rallied; the garden is buzzing with life!
For avid gardeners like myself, one of the greatest pleasures in life is seeing the garden not only survive but come to exuberant fruition. It’s at this point that I realize all my efforts have been worth it and, once again, I’ve made that marvelous journey from the winter dream to the thriving garden itself!
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