Reflections

Gardens are not about perfection, they are about growth. Especially for those of us who are 'rescue plant' gardeners, the chances we take on clearance shelf plants don't always pay off. We can learn a great deal from those failed experiments. And the joy that results when one of those stragglers goes on to flourish and flower is enormous. My husband and I are totally enjoying Monty Don's BBC series Big Dreams-Small Spaces for those very reasons. Time and again England's 'master gardener' urges fledgling gardeners to think big when planning their gardens: cram in the plants, dare to risk and adjust as they go along. There is a unique creativity about gardening with plants as the paint and the earth the canvas. As I anxiously await another summer of gardening in Northern Michigan, it is fun to reach out discover those sources of inspiration that fortify us for the growing season ahead. The days are getting longer. Spring WILL come.