Spring into Action

How many gardeners spent the first day of SPRING outside, working in the garden?

It was a sunny day here. The temperature was in the mid-50s and that was great gardening weather. My husband (aka The Musician) even joined in the fun. This is the first time that he's been home (retired) during the spring season. It was great to see his enthusiasm for getting the garden into shape. The man hates weeds more than me!

The Musician went on his three-mile run while I dug wild onions out of the garden. When he finished his run, he went to work shoveling the gravel to pull out the weeds. We have had several rains recently, making the ground and gravel perfect for weed eradication. Using a flat blade shovel, he scraped off the top of the gravel to loosen the weeds. They came right up. He raked the gravel back into place. It has been almost four years since the gravel path was made, so it's time to buy a bit of gravel to freshen it up again.

While we were working side-by-side in the garden, The Musician kept mentioning his enjoyment of the beautiful day for gardening. He's never had time to really enjoy gardening until now. In the past, it has been a weekend chore for him. He now sees the joy in gardening as well as the health benefits of the activity.

We went on to remove three lavender plants that didn't survive days and days of rain. When I say "we" this took on a new meaning - I pointed to the plants and he graciously dug out the very heavy shrub-size plants and dragged the 50 pound (they seem that heavy) off to the lavender graveyard that is used to block a deer path at the edge of the woods. He usually lifts weights before he runs. We both agreed that the heavy lifting in the garden is a great switch from indoor weights.

By lunchtime, we had cleaned up the cottage garden and the front pathway. I realized that I wouldn't have gotten so much done without my husband. I realized that gardening with him is more fun than gardening alone. He realized the fun of gardening when there is no rush to fit it into his spare time.

Gardening has always been enjoyable and The Musician has always been very supportive of my gardening activities and the results. I am so happy that he is so happy - to spring into action, too!

Story and photos by Freda Cameron