This post was most recently updated on September 22nd, 2019
So, are you a gardener?!? I have to admit that I have never really enjoyed gardening…until recently.
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For the past couple of summers, it’s been close to impossible to spend time gardening. With three kids in my shadow, attempting to create the backyard of my dreams was a completely futile exercise. If I turned my back for a moment, I’d find our our twin babies eating soil or picking flowers or toppling over. Not to mention, it’s kinda hard to have nice grass with a blow up pool, a bouncy castle and two dogs (RIP sweet Trinity xox). So I put up my white flag, and decided that blooming hydrangeas and weeping willows would have to wait (sigh). Luckily, all that summer fun helped take my mind off the trampled grass and the lack of trees.
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Every now and then, my impatience got the better of me (as it always does!), and we did manage to plant a couple of small Japanese maple trees, put a window box planter on the shed, and dig out a little shrub bed. But all those little efforts never seemed to amount to much. This year, though, a funny thing happened. I can actually see those small gardening efforts coming together. Dare I say that the backyard is starting to feel like a garden? OK, so it’s not based on my dream ‘plan’ and there’s still a loooong way to go, but it’s beginning to take shape. The point is, when you have small kids, you might be waiting until retirement to have the time to build a dream garden! (Unless, of course, you hire a professional landscaper!)
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Now that we’re starting to see some results, I’m kinda hooked. I want to do more. And, I love the fact that the kids are beginning to enjoy the experience of gardening with me. In a million years, I never thought I’d enjoy gardening, but never say never!
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It may not be the garden of my dreams (yet!), but I’m encouraged. Building your dream garden can definitely seem overwhelming with small kids and dogs, but even a few small gardening efforts now can eventually add up to something big later.
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So…are you lucky enough to have a mature garden to enjoy, or are you just starting out like me?
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Until next time, happy gardening!
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