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Older gardens have a marvelous sense of stability and a unique character. They're restful to wander around in or sit inside. Not that they're static, no garden ever stays exactly the same. But they have a depth of spirit, you might say, a quality that's almost indescribable.

The gardeners and the gardens seem to have reached a balance that means, usually, less work. The more plants there are to fill the space, the fewer the weeds and, often, the less water it needs. The plants that do well have been allowed to spread, the ones that didn't work out are gone. The shrubs and trees are full grown. Stability amid change, that's what a mature garden says.

Nurturing stability

A stable piece of land has a good plant cover, often three or four layers from ground covers to tall perennials or shrubs. No bare soil, no expanses of mulch, means less maintenance. This ideal may take a few years and many plants to achieve, but it's a worthwhile goal.

Nurturing meaning

Meaning is always personal, something to give to an object in the outer world, a way of melding inner and outer reality. You can always add something with meaning to a garden, a statue, a rose planted to honor a friend, a special rock from your favorite place.

The more meaning infused into your garden, the more the garden as a whole with feel uniquely yours, and the more energy you'll have for working with it. In a way, gardens are like sandboxes for grownups. We play around, change the furniture or the decorations and when we get bored we find something else to do.

Nurturing possibilities

Brainstorming is a good winter activity, or even something to occupy yourself in the midsummer heat when you're not going to actually change anything. Seed catalogs arrive, you. have time to look at gardening sites online or the beautiful books of photos that tempt us into bookstores.

And brainstorming is, by definition, separate from decision-making. Ideas, lots of ideas, are the purpose here. Write them down, collect photos, let your imagination roam. Practicality comes later.

Nurturing stability

Nurturing meaning

Nurturing possibilities

And brainstorming is, by definition, separate from decision-making. Ideas, lots of ideas, are the purpose here. Write them down, collect photos, let your imagination roam. Practicality comes later.

Gardening with Skill and Delight

Planting Joy

Cultivate some local experts

What's better than the internet? People whose brains you can pick for local information. Might be a neighbor, or one of the Master Gardeners in your area or the manager of a local nursery. When you need a run down on a specific plant, search the web. When you need info on your micro-climate and soil, ask an experienced gardener. And while you're at it, you get mini-lessons on pruning and planting.

Nursery professionals are often the most convenient, available all week and eager to talk to customers as long it's not spring rush. Save your questions for summer or fall. Yes, they'll steer you toward plants they stock, and the prices are a little higher than the box stores, but you pay for what you get and that's plants that have been cared for well and information you can trust.

Remember that every gardener has had experiences with different plants and they all have a slightly different slant on gardening. Don't expect them to all agree!

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