My favorite thing about being a part of this community is the shared gardening wisdom. Today’s piece, “10 Things I Learned from Gardening” is a fun and quirky list of exactly that, so to kick it off, I thought I’d share two things I’ve learned over the years as a gardener.
The first is not to be afraid to get your hands dirty. As any gardening aficionado knows, getting your hands dirty is part of the fun. There’s something satisfying about feeling the soil between your fingers and watching as your hard work starts to pay off. However, there’s also important gardening wisdom to be found in getting your hands dirty. By getting close to the earth, you can better understand the needs of your plants. You can also get a feel for the different textures and compositions of soils, which can help you create the perfect growing conditions for your flowers or vegetables. So next time you’re tempted to reach for the gardening gloves, think twice and let your hands do the exploring.
The second is that gardening is a master class in patience. One of the great gardening truths is that good things take time to grow. Whether you’re waiting for a flower to bloom or a bell pepper to turn red, there’s always a bit of waiting involved. Of course, this can be difficult to remember when you’re eager to see results. It’s easy to get impatient and start pulling at plants or poking at seedlings in the hope of hastening their growth. However, as any experienced gardener will tell you, this is seldom effective. In fact, it’s more likely to do harm than good. So next time you find yourself getting impatient, remember: things take time to grow. With a little patience, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits (and flowers) of your labor in no time.
Keep reading to get ten more bits of gardening wisdom.
Discover More Gardening Wisdom
This story comes from our archive spanning over 30 years, and includes more than 130 magazine issues of GreenPrints. Pieces like these that inject the joy of gardening into everyday life lessons always brighten up my day, and I hope it does for you as well. Enjoy!
10 Things I Learned from Gardening
By Lauryn Lupino of Vernon, NJ.
- A watched bud never blooms. And taking its picture every day doesn’t help.
- It’s good to let go of things that are not healthy.
- Bees are friends. And often funny. But wasps are jerks.
- Things need space to grow.
- Unexpected guests can be unexpected gifts.
- Weeds always find a way in, you just have to keep taking them out.
- Sun and fresh air heal more than you think.
- It’s harder to cut flowers from your own plants.
- Yes, you are now required to wear a sunhat.
- Trust your intuition. Things can look dead, and even though your kids will make fun of you for continuing to prune, water, and sing to them, sometimes a little extra love brings them back to life. ❖
By Lauryn Lupino of Vernon, NJ., published originally in 2020, in GreenPrints Issue #124. Illustrated by Marilynne Roach
What gardening wisdom would you add to this? Leave a comment, I look forward to your answers!
I have learn that not all weeds are bad. If I see a bee or butterfly on something, it becomes a beautiful plant, no longer being a weed that needs to be removed.