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Confessions of a Compulsive Gardener

I had just fallen from the top step of my ladder while handpicking tent caterpillars from my aged apple tree. Having determined that I’d survived with nothing more than a few ugly scrapes and bruises, I lay on the ground in the fading light of a Friday evening – a time when other women were out on the town or spending quality time with their families – and thought seriously about moving.

As much as I loved to garden, I could see the appeal of a smaller, more manageable yard. It would pain me to leave the fruit trees and big vegetable garden behind, but even I was getting tired of the endless year-round work this spread required. And my husband and son had been grumbling about me spending my weekends in the yard for some time.

That epiphany occurred two years ago this month. We now live in a different house with a smaller yard, and I love it! There are actually times during the year when I run out of yard projects, when I’ve done all I can do. This spring, I’ve been going for bike rides with my son on the weekend or – what was previously unimaginable – leaving home altogether. I’ve realized that for compulsive gardeners like me, a big yard can be a dangerous thing.

Compulsive gardeners have been known (I hope my neighbors don’t read this) to pee in secluded corners of the yard to avoid the time it takes to go inside, shedding gloves, shoes, etc. I personally have continued to prune with blood from a nicked thumb running down my arm. We call on our last ounce of strength just to get the job done, whether it’s transplanting a mature rhodie, pushing one more wheelbarrow load of dirt up the hill or uprooting a row of blackberry bushes. We are impervious to scrapes as we crawl under bushes to weed, prune and clear debris, and we turn a blind eye when our children come out of the house munching on a lunch of cookies and chips.

Of course, I can still be compulsive when I want to be, just not as often. I hired a landscaper friend to help me plan raised beds around what was just a flat rectangle of lawn. The result is softer – the beds give the lawn a curving border – and much more interesting. And I get plenty of planting space, but in a more condensed area. Having worked so long with a large area, it was hard to see that a smaller yard offered just as much potential. Janice Lovelace writes in this issue about how a garden coach can help you plan a yard that not only makes the most of the space you have but works for the kind of time you have for upkeep.

My friend helped me achieve a yard that still offers plenty of opportunities for crawling around in the dirt but doesn’t take all of my leisure time. Now on a Friday evening, I can actually sit on the deck sipping a glass of wine and enjoy my garden.

Cheers!

Karen Reed-Matthee
Editor

©May 2006 Caliope Publishing Company