Friday, March 28, 2008

Gardening is about faith ...

... or is it hope? In any event, it's about believing that despite all evidence to the contrary you can make your garden look a certain way. Say, for example, as if has a lawn.


Easter weekend found me ripping up sod. Ripping up sod is easier when you actually have some sod to rip up. This was more about leveling. I ripped, I edged, I graded, I added lime. I did a lot of weeding in the garden beds too -- it was hard to ignore the pervasive wild strawberries.

By Tuesday I was done, but exhausted. I didn't think it would take me more than a half day, but with Easter egg hunts, cooking, spring break (for one child), and school/homework (for the other -- can't we all get on the same schedule?), it took 3 days of working a few hours a day.

Thursday finally arrived and Enfield Farm installed their Riviera Bermuda sod. I guess I had built up some high expectations. It will be beautiful! It will be instant lawn! It will transform my garden! I will feel like the most accomplished gardener!

My garden still looks like crap.


Here's where I make myself feel better: They didn't bring enough sod, so there is an unfinished area, that will look better as soon as they come back today. The grass is still dormant. I knew that it would take 4 weeks to emerge from dormancy and take root. Just give it time. It does look better than it did: it's a uniform light brown instead of a patchy green/dark brown. The green mesh (you warned me Marta!) will disappear once the lawn thickens.


I will try to have faith (or hope or patience or whatever). I will try to remember that good gardens take time. There are no quick fixes. It takes time to set down roots and transition from a dirt pit backyard to a lush, inviting garden.


I am going to water, fertilize, and concentrate on how wonderful my perennials look. I am going to enjoy the warm weather. I am going to sit with my knitting on the patio and bask in the sun before it turns humid and buggy.


And I will remind myself that it will look better soon ... right?

4 comments:

Bridget said...

I'm sure it will look better soon - but in the meantime, I'm glad you are going to enjoy it anyway!

Anonymous said...

Girl. It's still March. It'll be overrunning you before you know it.

Worse than being 5 and waiting for Christmas, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

OK, so I posted this in April, but anyway.

Tracey said...

Oh, I think your garden spot looks lovely and I agree with Tina. It is early yet. Having the vision is half the battle.

As a novice knitter, I need to remember about vision, too!!