I read somewhere a description of gardening as “think of your garden as your living room.” I look at my living room and think, it looks pretty solid, unlike the ocean a few blocks away.
In reality, it’s fluid in that, over time, the furniture has changed position, some pieces have moved to other rooms or out of the house entirely, to be replaced by others.
The same is true in my garden(s). An entire vegetable garden was established and then abandoned. The neighbor planted invasive bamboo to the west; no more afternoon summer sun, and the roots have invaded the beds and are impossible for me to dig up. Small trees were planted to the south and east, now grown so tall as to block sun from those directions as well. Roots from other neighboring older trees have also invaded the raised beds. Only a few bushes remain in this garden.
In the other two garden areas, squirrels and rabbits and slugs munch on everything except the oregano that marches on, spreading everywhere (even into the gravel driveway.). Other herbs also survive…rosemary, lavender, echinacea.
When windstorms pass through, tree branches inevitably fall on fences.
But gardening carries on…chaotic at best. I moved a small flowering plant from where I originally planted it, at the base of a fir tree in the middle of the driveway loop, in that shaded area above. The plant was desperately trying to grow around the tree, reaching for more sun. So I planted it in my herb garden…where it thrives. But now it is trying to take over the herbs, so I must trim it back aggressively.
Today I discovered the daffodils that decided they wanted to move…towards the aggressive unknown flowering plant. So now I really need to trim, and move the path…
My husband built me a small raised bed in that same area, hoping to please me since raised beds are my passion as I approach my mid-seventies. Not raised quite enough; one 2×6 deep, I will still need to kneel to tend to it. For me, my knees have not been strong my entire life, so…what to do…I will plant herbs and flowers I hope will be the least attractive to all the critters…perennials…mound up the bed by moving soil and placing a couple layers of small branches and unfinished compost down and then putting the soil back in place on top. The combination of perennials and materials that will break down slowly over time will mean minimal maintenance. Trim plants back some every year, cut and drop weeds, add some mulch on top every fall…easy.
My husband also promises a new raised bed on legs this spring, with protection against critter invasions. Hope for the future, knowing fully well that there will be trials and errors, with plants moving from place to place until they find their forever homes…as forever as one can hope for. A plant dies now and again, only to return to the soil and feed what follows…mitochondria, an annual flower, a perennial herb, or a majestic fir tree, never far away.