Reflections

I look out my front door watching for the UPS guy and my garden greets me. It has been a real journey to redefine what it means to garden living in a condo association in the Southwest. Digging in the caliche is pretty nigh impossible. To get it to budge, buckets of water are needed to soften the ground first. Drip irrigation is a must. And it makes sense to supplement in-ground plants with strategically placed pots. As a garden owner in Monty Don's wonderful BBC series Italian Gardens says, she owes her success to listening to her plants. They want to be where they want to be. True, it seems, in any climate. Much as I miss my Michigan garden right now, my Tempe garden teaches a precious skill---patience. [In-ground plants shown here: Fairy Dusters, Purple Hopseed, Bougainvillea.]