I enjoy the thick-green lushness of a freshly mowed lawn. The smell of freshly-mowed grass is definitely at the top of my "favorite smells" list. However, a large-freshly mowed lawn isn't enough. This type of beauty also includes trees, shrubs, flowers, vines, ground cover, water, rock, wood, and all the other various earth and landscaping elements.
Creating beauty is a large task but one that is incredibly rewarding. To start with a complete mess, such as weeds up to your knees, or a blank slate, such as bare dirt, (and I've done both) and to imagine plant groupings and choose the proper plants for height, width, sunlight needs, water needs, and flowering time, can seem overwhelming. Once the holes are dug, the plants in the ground, and a little time has passed, the reward is now beginning.
After the plants are there and the earth elements have been added, which I call "accessorizing the landscaping", all that is required is preventive measures. These include adding Preen in the spring to prevent weeds from germinating, adding compost and fertilizer periodically to help the plants flourish, loosening the dirt (with a spade or fork) so water can get down to the roots, and pulling the few weeds that grow. Then there is general maintenance, which includes pruning the shrubs to keep them maintained and dead-heading the spent flowers to allow new flowers to grow, and the energy to go back to the plant and not to producing seeds.
Once the skin has turned a little browner from the time spent in the sun, the muscles ache a little more from bending and standing repeatedly, and the fingernails have enough dirt under them to germinate seeds, it is time to sit, drink something cold, and enjoy the ultimate reward!
For me there truly is nothing more peaceful, rewarding and therapeutic than creating beauty around me and sharing it with my family, friends, and perfect strangers!
Creating beauty is a large task but one that is incredibly rewarding. To start with a complete mess, such as weeds up to your knees, or a blank slate, such as bare dirt, (and I've done both) and to imagine plant groupings and choose the proper plants for height, width, sunlight needs, water needs, and flowering time, can seem overwhelming. Once the holes are dug, the plants in the ground, and a little time has passed, the reward is now beginning.
After the plants are there and the earth elements have been added, which I call "accessorizing the landscaping", all that is required is preventive measures. These include adding Preen in the spring to prevent weeds from germinating, adding compost and fertilizer periodically to help the plants flourish, loosening the dirt (with a spade or fork) so water can get down to the roots, and pulling the few weeds that grow. Then there is general maintenance, which includes pruning the shrubs to keep them maintained and dead-heading the spent flowers to allow new flowers to grow, and the energy to go back to the plant and not to producing seeds.
Once the skin has turned a little browner from the time spent in the sun, the muscles ache a little more from bending and standing repeatedly, and the fingernails have enough dirt under them to germinate seeds, it is time to sit, drink something cold, and enjoy the ultimate reward!
For me there truly is nothing more peaceful, rewarding and therapeutic than creating beauty around me and sharing it with my family, friends, and perfect strangers!
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