Friday Feature - Your Garden

It's a new year - time to look within!  Well, within your own space and explore your own garden.   Many of us spend a lot of time, money, and resources trying to fix things about ourselves and our lives.  Maybe this is the year we start focusing appreciation and gratitude toward things about us and right around us. 

So without fully channeling my inner Depak, let's just start with that 'ol space outside.
Take a look (and a walk) around and ask yourself these questions:

What 2 things would I most like to change in my garden?
What 3 things do I really like just as they are?
In my garden, if I could pick a 'Bliss Spot' where would that be?
Which tree is my favorite tree, and why?
How many different forms of wildlife/nature did I see today?
Who do I know would really love to see my garden right now?

It's yours!  Find the joy and beauty of it every day.  Then do something - grand or subtle - to make it more special for you.

Wednesday - What To Do?

Welcome to my new segment I'm calling "What to do Wednesday", which will focus on a project you can plan for your weekend gardening. Why Wednesday, you ask? Well, if I gave out great garden project assignment on Friday, you would like have to spend your Saturday morning racing around to the nurseries, preparing soil, and digging holes. Then, your Sunday up to your dirty knees working on the project. I believe Saturdays are for gardening and Sundays are garden viewing. So, Wednesday gives you two days to get ready for the weekend fun.

This Wednesday to start, I thought of a simple project we all can do. Here in Phoenix, where it's been over 110* degrees for the past two weeks, it's about all we can do in the garden right now. I want you to spend some time thinking back.

("The Yard" - 1998 Spring)

I know it will do me some good to take a moment think back - back to the incredible spring we had this year. To think back to this time last year. I'm even thinking back to the early days when we had a 'yard'.

("The Garden" - 2008 Summer)

Thinking back will help you plan your next move for this fall. Perhaps, reminding you of what not to do (that you've maybe tried season after season still to no avail). Thinking back will give you some pride in what you truly have accomplished from year to year. So browse the old garden journals, flip through the Post-it riddled pages of your garden magazines, print of some old and new photos. Take note of how your garden has grown.

(2009 Summer - "Xericopia")