Are you a gardener? What does it give you?

Hi. Yes Im a bit of a green fingers person, I love to be in my gardens, wether Im weeding and working, to simply relaxing and reading a book... Gardening for me , I find is quiet energizing and uplifting...

I don't have a large garden as I live in a flat, and have to share. I planted a Leylandi hedge between me and a next door neighbour and another, halfway up the back area, to separate mine from downstairs' garden area. Then between me and the neighbour the other side, I planted several shrubs, like Buddlia, Mock Orange, Laurel, Hibiscus, Japonica, etc. These give colour and attract butterflies and bees. I have a tall Christmas Tree in the bottom left hand corner, which the birds love, with a bird table beneath it and a bird bath in the middle back. The garden used to slope, so I've terraced it, and basically, almost split it into two, nearly-level areas. I built a low, dry-stone wall close to the back fence... about two feet away, then filled the enclosed area with soil. This is now full of heathers which flower at different times of the year, in white, cerise and purple, low growing conifers, peonies, roses and three holly bushes along the back, with a lilac in the right hand corner, with red, rambling roses growing through that, and along the fence. Halfway down the garden, I dug a step down and built another, matching dry-stone walls, both of those undulating like a wave on the beach. Then, I dug a circular bed in the middle and planted an Azalea, which is red, lupins, anenomies and daffodils. The two side pieces, I dug out beds of about eight or nine inches, and planted lobelia, purple and white. Then, on the left hand side between the middle wall and the hedge, another stone walled garden, in a D shape, containing bluebells, lavender, and other herbs and flowers. I call this and the top garden as my Faery Gardens. lol. Halfway along the bottom hedge, I have an arbour and round this grow Clematis, climbing Roses and Honeysuckle. There is a Honeysuckle archway leading into the garden and some hanging baskets on the small portion of fence. I have a small playhouse out there that the kids used to use when they were small and which they painted, like a Snow White cottage, and I love to sit out on my lounger, under a parasol, with my book in the summer, or just watching the World go by. There is a field of sheep at the bottom of my garden, so all in all, it's quite peaceful out there. Brightest Blessings my friend.

Yes... I love gardening. You could say that I grew up gardening as my grand-parents grew all their own vegetables. And I was always in there helping my grand-father. I had some beautiful garden like yours when I was living in Sydney. Many people in Sydney have garden like that. Often the garden is better than the house. lol But since moving in the bush 18 months ago... I could not even grow weeds if I wanted to. We had a terrible drought here... and it is only in the last three months that we started to get a bit of rain. So hopefully when spring comes next month... at last we will have a bit of grass. In my garden... I have kangaroos, rabbits, snakes, frogs, wombats, eagles, a variety of birds and 700 sheeps. There are cattles across the road. lol

Hi Perspectives!!!^_^ I just can imagine what your garden looks like....I have a garden too, but you can call me an amateur gardener. The thing is I keep forgetting the names of the plants that I put in my garden. And the only way that I identify them is throught their colors. I know I'm pitiful!LOL. When I'm in the garden, I sometimes lose track of time that my husband would have to call my attention and go back to earth. He doesn't share my passion for gardening as your husband does with you. He doesn't even help me to pull out the weeds. But that's alright with me. Because my garden serves as my place of tranquility when I need some time off from being a busy, busy mom and wife. The only problem that I have is our dog, Ashley. She's a German Shepard and she just keeps on lying down on my flowers!!!I kept scolding her to lie down somewhere else and she will obey me. But the minute that I turn my back, she'll return to her favorite spot!These days I just try to laugh it off. My favorite flower is a white rose. I don't know but I always liked it. Whenever I look at my roses, I feel a sense of fulfillment and peace. Even my neighbor loves my roses. I'm still an amateur gardener but hopefully I can turn my garden into one that I have envisioned in my mind for years. Rows and rows of colorful flowers. Then I can stay at my garden and feel as if I'm in heaven too.

Yes,i am a avid gardener.My gardens surrounding our house and backyard "IS"like a painters pallete.With the earth tolled and embracing the roots of life.It is then when i make my imprint to grow and create something beautiful and dreamy for the eyes and soul to embrace.An invitation for the wildlife,a petal for a butterfly or some sweet nector for a hummingbird.This is my eden and i created this myself,as i have proof from the dirt in my hands.A place to relax,a place to watch my daughter frollick through the phloxs,the bees busily buzzing by to store their nector and the sweet harmony of a bird in a butterfly bush singing its love song.....This is my deep down in the heart feelings for what it gives:passion,love,tranquility and pure satisfaction for being given a gift to grow my own eden.

How peaceful. My husband and I love to work out in the yard as well, we live in central california the summers average 95-100 so we do alot at night. I try and do my watering at night because it's my quiet time and I love it. I was just out there and saw our toad that live in the yard, I love critters :) I am trieing to do an organic approach as well, I rather be able to have all the good critters, I just wish the pests would stay away! I have Japanease Maples that have been attacked by spider mites, I used a safer sulfer spray, any suggestions?

Wow,that sounds very lovely!! We have carrots,grapes,raspberries,strawberries and this is our first year planting tomatoes. We also have irises,bleeding hearts (my fav,dicentra formosa!)Lilys,tulips, a couple roses,I tried a miniature rose, which unfortunately didnt return this year,not enough sun where I put it,I think...daffodils,and a new hydrangea this year, I hope it works out as I'd love to see what type of soil I have,it will turn the blossom pink white or blue according to the grounds ph and alkali.:)Happy gardening!

What a beautiful garden! We enjoy our gardens too. We have thought about moving to another place but it would take a month to move all of the perennials that we have planted. We add to the beds every year. This fall we are going to enlarge the beds so we can grow more. I love to sit in my lazy chair and gaze upon the beauty of the gardens we have created.

We live in an apartment building, so we joined a community garden. It is very satisfying to watch things grow and take part in an activity. I am a bit envious of your backyard, though! ;)

Hello Perspectives, Your garden looks lovely! I'm also an avid gardener. Like yours, our garden plot was also previously barren land. And, we're located in the high dessert. So, the challenge to create a lush outdoor living space was a daunting task. My gardening experience from back East was of little value here, as high dessert gardening has its own set of rules. However, persistence, adaptability, and a number of dessert gardening texts helped us get an edge on the dry, arrid, clay conditions. We enjoy our lush space very much. In the center of the garden is a lovely grape arbor (upon which the grapes still have not topped -- which is somewhat dissappointing), a lovely perrennial flower garden, our hot-tub (for outdoor star gazing), our chickens, and a bit further back is our vegetable garden. I love your comparison of your garden to a painter's pallete. I also view our garden space as a canvas--forever in progress.

I love my plants. I have 28 houseplants with an ICU area where at the moment I am tending to 4 bromeliad pups (offshoots). Outdoors I had potted plants on my patio as I do not have a large enough area to plants anything. Also so many of the plants I like are toxic to animal and I would not take the chance that my dogs could get sick. I am also guilty of taking to my plants (LOL) especially when they have babies. Photo: Patio Plants

Just expressing my response to your good writing piece: It has real element of yourlive garden! ENJOYED...

Your garden sounds really beautiful! I love to garden as well. There is nothing better than growing your own veggies. I also love to grow flowers. I will have to say though gardening is hard work. but well worth it!

ah gardening... one of the best pleasures of life. i never really liked it until i was introduced to landscaping by my cousin, as it was his job. the most rewarding moment for it i think is that, after all the hard work youve given your land.. is that moment when you just go there and relax. once in a while i join my cousin for small undeveloped land jobs... he covers the land development mainly, but i sometimes do and plan the plants that we are going to use. im really not that good at landscaping, im really not that creative, plus im an it professional... but i can grow plants... hahaha. i do have a small backyard... but mostly when the rainy season comes (i live in the tropics) i rotate my varieties of flower bloomers to spices.. ginger root, chili or whatever. bottomline... i love gardening. haha

I don't have a large garden as I live in a flat, and have to share. I planted a Leylandi hedge between me and a next door neighbour and another, halfway up the back area, to separate mine from downstairs' garden area. Then between me and the neighbour the other side, I planted several shrubs, like Buddlia, Mock Orange, Laurel, Hibiscus, Japonica, etc. These give colour and attract butterflies and bees. I have a tall Christmas Tree in the bottom left hand corner, which the birds love, with a bird table beneath it and a bird bath in the middle back. The garden used to slope, so I've terraced it, and basically, almost split it into two, nearly-level areas. I built a low, dry-stone wall close to the back fence... about two feet away, then filled the enclosed area with soil.

Oh I love gardening, LOVE it! However this summer I did not have the time for it due to father in law and my mother being sick and the running we did for them. :( I have a sweet flowerbed in front filled with bushes and flowers that the girls and I would worked on. Then my porch had like 6 flowerpots setting on it with 2 hanging baskets. Then in the back I had a row of beautiful wild flowers growing along my fence, until the neighbor sprayed something on it that even killed the grass (jerk). Then anywhere and everywhere I would have various types of flowers growing all around the house. I would tell you what kind, but sadly I am not very good I knowing the names of flowers. I love having a garden. The work and sweat that goes into them is so worth it when you get to step back and admire what you have and the peace it can bring.

Oh, my! I can see now why all of your posts are so calming and reasonable. What a wonderful haven you have created in your garden. How healing it must be to relish in the labor of love your garden must represent. The strength in the hands of your spouse, the weariness and persistance of your backs and legs and the sweat of your brow - all of that surrounds you as watch you watch your garden bloom. Lovely! When I was a child, both sets of my grandparents had vegetable gardens - tomatoes, greens, vines of peas, onions, etc.. Even though we lived in the heart of the city, it seemed perfectly natural. My mother even had a lemon tree that she grew from a sprout - no small feat in Chicago! I remember her tugging it inside the back porch in the fall. :-) I always promise myself that I will start an herb garden both for cooking and healing, but I've never gotten around to it. My husband wants to extend our deck to cover the little bit of yard we actually have, lol. I wistfully leaf through gardening magazines and watch the DIY gardening shows - ah, maybe one day!

I can't say that I'm a gardener since I don't have a garden. I do, however, have many house plants that I take great pleasure in caring for. I love to see how each one grows differently. I also love to discover new things. For example, a friend of mine gave me a bunch of plants and some of them were mixed together. So, I separated them all and put them in their own pots and such. One in particular was just a stick. Yes, you read that right...a stick. I looked alive, like a segment from a plant so I just stuck one end into a small pot and waited. Well, turns out that was an Elephant Ear plant and I've since had to scale it down twice. The leaves are HUGE!! I also used to love to work in the vegetable garden when my grandfather was alive. We used to plant many things...peas, corn, potatoes, squash, carrots, cucumbers and the list goes on. I loved learning what things were and, again, watching them all grow. I also love to just sit among an outdoor garden with all the bird and insect sounds. I try to distinguish each chirp and truly "be" in the moment when I have that kind of opertunity. I find that digging in the dirt is one of the most relaxing activities that I participate in. I just love to be surrounded by growing things and to be a part of their growing process is all that much more special...Aaaahhhhh!!

One day i will have a garden like this :)

I guess if I had a garden I would do more gardening. My Mum's house had a front yard so the extent of my gardening skills extended to planting pots full of bright flowers so we had lots of colour in the summer months. My own home just has a backyard and I have been a little reluctant to put pots out with the kids running around and picking flowers. I love what you have done with your own garden and can totally identify with that feeling of contentment being surrounded by nature. Unfortunately here in Britain we are lucky to be able to have a couple of months of summer to sit outside but I do try and get to the local park to enjoy all the greenery. My dream home would have a lovely big back garden I could sit in as you do.