I was really happy to read this, as I've gotten way more interested in my own garden, reading about gardens, thinking about gardens, especially gardens in the hot Southeast that are less about pretty perfection than joy - where bugs are not unwelcome. This is after a couple of years (maybe more) where I kind of ignored the garden, trying to use every possible free day, evening, and morning to go *somewhere else* for nature. Now I think, "Why am I going to use all that gas and sit in a car for hours, when I have made this lovely space?"
I too am a fan of zinnias; a friend and I were joking for a while that we were "basic botany bitches" for our love of zinnias. They reseeded themselves for years, but last year were absent and I missed them! I've just planted a ton of seeds and hope to have dozens this year.
I am working on (as in I have a jumble of thoughts and notes and pictures) some kind of post about my own garden since I haven't written about it in two months (!) when it was still winter (!) Mainly, my grand plan to order tons of seeds from Prairie Moon and winter sow them did not go according to plan; after the seeds sprouted I did not know what to do with them, when to plant them, and I think most have died. Next year I will plant half directly in the garden beds in fall, I think, and winter sow the rest.
I am also scheming to create some kind of pond that somehow is neither expensive nor a mosquito breeding den.
Garden Threads is kinda cool. At least it gives the algorithm a diversion from the DC or Austin horror stories. My own garden is an amalgamation of containers since we rent. It’s still nice to see cool gardens and I’ve pretty much accepted that I’ll never have an in ground garden. That Bee balm is awesome.
I have suffered burnout also...twenty years ago... and still recovering. I've also suffered a significant episode of heat exhaustion and I think there is a parallel between the two. Once you suffer from them you are never the same. Recovery can be long and complicated but it builds resilience. It's kind of like learning the difference between happiness and joy. Horticulture is obviously my life passion because no matter how it makes me feel I keep coming back for more! It seems to me that you have the right attitude. You will write more later or maybe you won't...you weed the important beds and let the others be for now. Thank you for all of your blog posts and podcasts. They have helped me in my recovery!
I enjoyed peeking into your garden! I also think zinnia's are fabulous. Are those garden borders made of concrete? If so, such a commitment. I don't own my property so I feel tension about putting a lot into infrastructure and I do dream of a garden like yours.
Yes, they are concrete! We put them in about 2.5 years ago after using juniper/cedar planks the previous decade. Our moist environment caused them to rot a lot faster than they should have. Definitely worth the effort and time if you ever get to the point to have a garden like that.
I was really happy to read this, as I've gotten way more interested in my own garden, reading about gardens, thinking about gardens, especially gardens in the hot Southeast that are less about pretty perfection than joy - where bugs are not unwelcome. This is after a couple of years (maybe more) where I kind of ignored the garden, trying to use every possible free day, evening, and morning to go *somewhere else* for nature. Now I think, "Why am I going to use all that gas and sit in a car for hours, when I have made this lovely space?"
I too am a fan of zinnias; a friend and I were joking for a while that we were "basic botany bitches" for our love of zinnias. They reseeded themselves for years, but last year were absent and I missed them! I've just planted a ton of seeds and hope to have dozens this year.
I am working on (as in I have a jumble of thoughts and notes and pictures) some kind of post about my own garden since I haven't written about it in two months (!) when it was still winter (!) Mainly, my grand plan to order tons of seeds from Prairie Moon and winter sow them did not go according to plan; after the seeds sprouted I did not know what to do with them, when to plant them, and I think most have died. Next year I will plant half directly in the garden beds in fall, I think, and winter sow the rest.
I am also scheming to create some kind of pond that somehow is neither expensive nor a mosquito breeding den.
Garden Threads is kinda cool. At least it gives the algorithm a diversion from the DC or Austin horror stories. My own garden is an amalgamation of containers since we rent. It’s still nice to see cool gardens and I’ve pretty much accepted that I’ll never have an in ground garden. That Bee balm is awesome.
Hi Misti!
I have suffered burnout also...twenty years ago... and still recovering. I've also suffered a significant episode of heat exhaustion and I think there is a parallel between the two. Once you suffer from them you are never the same. Recovery can be long and complicated but it builds resilience. It's kind of like learning the difference between happiness and joy. Horticulture is obviously my life passion because no matter how it makes me feel I keep coming back for more! It seems to me that you have the right attitude. You will write more later or maybe you won't...you weed the important beds and let the others be for now. Thank you for all of your blog posts and podcasts. They have helped me in my recovery!
I enjoyed peeking into your garden! I also think zinnia's are fabulous. Are those garden borders made of concrete? If so, such a commitment. I don't own my property so I feel tension about putting a lot into infrastructure and I do dream of a garden like yours.
Yes, they are concrete! We put them in about 2.5 years ago after using juniper/cedar planks the previous decade. Our moist environment caused them to rot a lot faster than they should have. Definitely worth the effort and time if you ever get to the point to have a garden like that.
And thank you for the comment!
Welcome back, Misty! So happy to read your latest! I’m now on year three of a hot a humid Sugar Land Garden. It’s brutal work!
I can’t believe you’ve been back 3 years already! Someday
we should finally meet up!
This is the start of year three, so it’s really only been two years, but yes, we should definitely meet up!