“Why Garden?”

In my “Before Kids” life, I spent my time writing and teaching lesson plans.  Each plan began with an essential question. Something we would start with to get us thinking, something to refer back to when we eventually got off track, and something we would try to answer in the end.  The answers were not always the same and I didn’t expect them to be because most of the time, these questions were meant to get to the heart of the student.

My first rose bush!

I became a more avid gardener when I became a teacher.  It was a way to decompress, a way to get out the stress from working in the inner city, and a way to enjoy nature in an urban setting.  I always loved flowers but I preferred to design and create gardens in any way possible.  I will always think back to my first rose bush, to the first time I grew a dahlia, and to the first time I decided to take a chance on a new path.. But, here I go, getting away from the essential question: Why Garden?

For me, the answer has evolved.  It started as a stress reliever and slowly became a passion that I now share with my kids.  Every year, I have created a new garden and it always starts with “Why.”  The first garden added some color to the front yard and became home to my favorite spring shrubs, Snowball Viburnums.  The second garden was to fill in a space that had been home to three large pines.  The third, was a garden focused on providing a space for pollinators, specifically Monarch butterflies. The fourth has become a peony and rose garden, because who doesn’t want to smell those all spring and summer.  The fifth, is a shade garden for hellebores and hydrangea.  And finally, I can’t forget about the rows of annuals scattered around the yard specific for cutting.

Every time I start a new garden space, I ask myself “why this garden?”  Is this garden for visual appeal, is it for pollinators, it is to feed my family, is it for the birds, is it a cutting garden, is it for exercise or mental health?  What is the purpose of this garden? Once you have answered this question for yourself, let the adventure begin!

My 2020 vision board that started my flower farming adventure!