Why is gardening fun?
This is a huge topic and in this post you will get my personal take on gardening. Gardening will always be fun!
I used to stress about being a beginner. Years ago, I used to rent a community garden plot until a dude on permanent disability made fun of my kale plantation. I quit soon after and regret it to this day.
Pro tip: don’t stress, grow something and have fun!
Miracles
Gardening exposes you to many miracles every season, even if you garden on a small patio like mine. One miracle is seeds because seeds come equipped with everything they need inside them and all they need is a trigger. But how do they decide to go for it?
I can understand my Columbine or poppy seeds sprouting in my plastic pots but what about seeds that have been waiting for the right conditions for hundreds of years? How do they decide to go for it after such a long time? I think about this every time I see, sow or collect seeds.
Food
I admit to cheating a little bit by buying bullet-proof GMO-free seeds from West Coast Seeds. I think anyone can grow radishes or kale with excellent seeds. I do and it’s fun.
But know that your family might not trust your first few harvests. I was shocked when my kids shied away from Daddy’s fresh strawberries and kale. What? I had to actually consume the harvest before they would try. City kids!
Outside
Gardening gets you outside. Yes, my patio is very small but when I walk out to see my potted plants, I feel like I’m visiting friends. And it’s a weird crew.
I have rescue plants from work that I couldn’t just throw into green waste, like Irises, Barberry and sedges. I might as well enjoy them by giving them soil and water. The plants perform their own miracles through photosynthesis, taking sunlight and making food. If it wasn’t for this miracle, we’d all be gone.
Many of my pots are populated by late-season sale plants, the kind nobody wants in November, like Orange New Zealand Sedge (Carex testacea). $2.00!! And all because it doesn’t produce showy flowers. I’m still beaming about this “steal”.
And with some plants it was love at first sight. One example is New Zealand Form (Armeria juniperifolia). An alpine plant which attracts pollinators.
One mystery is why I still don’t have any pots with my favourite early season flowers. I love the simple happy faces of Doronicums; they’re perfect for strange times like these.
Experiment
Don’t be afraid to experiment. I have one ornamental Calamagrostis grass and I decided to not cut it back the way we do in our landscapes. It lived!
Not cutting back all of my perennials meant that my patio got visits from birds. That never used to happen.
You will fail at some things but don’t worry about it. Once I bought a pricey blueberry plant and it went nowhere. Oh, well, you actually have to do some research occasionally.
And my pink rescue Azalea produced gorgeous long-lasting blooms, until it didn’t. The pot soil isn’t acidic enough?
Battle cry
Don’t search through online forums. Instead, embrace your beginner gardener status. Go out, plant something and have fun. And if an old dude on permanent disability makes fun of you, ignore him.
