gardening is in my genes

Flower Patch 2010

 ever since i can remember gardening has been part of my life. growing up my dad always had a massive garden overflowing with fresh vegetables & beautiful perennials, annuals and flowering trees- he has been creating his little piece of heaven for over 30 years. it is so beautiful and peaceful- i strive to create the same feeling in my garden one day. i have a hard time remembering that it has taken 30 years of dedication, love and hard work to create what he is so prideful of and mine is just in its beginning stages- a little jewel that continues to need polishing. in time i will get there.

there was nothing better than running barefoot through the garden stopping just long enough to pluck a cherry tomato ready to burst at the seams only to have it burst in your mouth with all its glorious sweetness. fresh green beans, zucchini & summer squash by the bushel- you name it he at one time or another has grown it. growing up we had the greatest pup in the world  "levi", she would walk the garden paths  stealthily  plucking green beans for her own afternoon treat- i have never seen a dog so interested in fresh veggies than she was. i miss her, my pup. she was the best. dog. ever. period.

in addition to the massive garden a massive compost pile of course went along with it. once the first frost knocked on the door and all the tomato plants were droopy and cold with frost bite into the compost pile they went. do you remember playing house when you were little? i would ransack the compost pile and pull out all of summers memories creating a tomato stew for my woodland guests - in a little home along the tree line of our yard. to this day i distinctively remember the smell of crisp fall air combined with chilled earth & rotting tomatoes- all of natures fall greatness wrapped full of memories.

an memory from my great grandmother writing about her time on the family farm

my gardening genes do not stop there- my great great grandmother; lumina had a garden with purpose. a garden that fed her family over the years; taking care, each year that  enough would be grown to feed her family well through the long new england winters. one of the purposes of our vegetable garden is to help us become more self sufficient; knowing that you grew an abundance of food from seed, tended to and cared for is a powerful feeling.

Thats me with the super curly hair- did you notice we are all wearing jean skirts!

one of my fondest memories of my Granpa Dick is captured in a photo; one of my sister, childhood friend & I standing alongside his garden in which he planted sunflowers-sunflowers so massive that he had a long pole to reach up to show us just how tall the sunflowers had become, towering over us and everything around them; they were amazing. My Granpa & Grammie Jacques have always held a passion for gardening and flowers. she still has an impressive flower garden in which cuttings and divisions of flowers are passed down to my dad and then onto me. i have a division of a cottage flower that was given to my dad by my great gram- grammy sunshine; luminas daughter. i love the history that gardening lends itself too; from saved seeds, passed down perennials & gardening superstitions and folklore it is all rich in history differing from family to family based on what worked for them.

cottage flower passed down from my great grandmother to my dad then to me

my gram houle and mom live by the philosphy "throw it in the ground, if it grows than great, if not move on to the next thing". they have a very carefree attitude about gardening. you know what, it works for them- they each have their own unique and beautiful flower gardens that they build upon each year.

i am always saddened when a plant wilts away or passes along- i want them all to survive and try my hardest to make sure they do. on any given day you will find me staring aimlessly around my garden- however it is not aimless to me, i am sending love to all my growing seedlings, flowers, bees, butterflies and good garden creatures. squatting down amidst the growing greens, trying to catch the last cucumber beetle hidden in the large yellow flowers of the zucchini and squash plants. i swear they start to recognize me. the trick, i found was to catch them early in the day still sleepy & wet with the morning dew unable to fly away to the near by birch tree for safety.

i am longing for the warm days that spring is sure to bring along with its fitful bursts of showers and new beginnings for all living things.



Summer Garden 2010