Container gardening – Maka Knows

I have been thinking a lot about growth lately. Personal, professional, spiritual, etc. Since the pandemic started there have been countless articles and videos about making time for yourself and your growth.

Thats when I started to think about my garden.

In the late spring I started a garden. This was against my better judgement as I am not known for my green thumb (as previously noted in my other posts). For some reason, this year is different. this year I use my time in the garden to think and recharge. In the morning I go out and check the status of my plants. Who needs water? Who needs dead leaves removed and flowers cleared away? Who needs food? Who needs to be cut back to encourage new growth? I will putter in the front and then slowly make my way to the back.

There I sit on the steps and pull up a planter and tend to the flowers. Mila, our cat, will usually, sit next to me watching as I patiently clear away old growth so that new growth can happen. I have one type of plant that has the smallest of flowers. It explodes in soft pink petals when it is happy. However, you must spend time pulling all the little dead flowers off for the fresh flowers to grow. These flowers have a short bloom cycle. So, I try and stay on top of it. In some ways it reminds me of trimming a bonsai. It is very relaxing, and I can let my mind wander. It evens me out and sets me in a calm state for the start of my day.

What needs to go for new growth to happen?

Plants often need to have their dead leaves and flowers pruned so that the energy that they get from the sun, water and food goes toward the new growth and not toward trying to maintain or heal the old growth. Maybe, people do too. In the past I have not thought about time for growth in the right way. I guess I should think about it in the same way that I tend my garden. I don’t need to find the time to spend on my growth. I just need to readjust what I am spending my time on because I am sending my energy to the wrong things. I need to send my energy to new goals that energize me and move me forward instead of trying to maintain my old goals.

Room to grow

In my garden I spend time evaluating the growth of the plants. Some of them are greedy and begin taking up the entire planter. At that point I need to decide if I need to split some plants up and give them more room to grow. There are considerations to this. Which plants can take a repotting? Do I have enough pots? Can it share a pot with another plant that also needs more room? Do I have the right soil? Will the plant survive a few rounds with the neighborhood squirrels? Will my husband start to notice that we are running out of space on the deck?

I believe that we too, can outgrow our pots. I have spent a lot of my career sharing new pots. Migrating to new groups as my team gets reorganized. Taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves but not really choosing a pot of my own. I reinvent myself as the need arises. It is a skill that I have gotten good at over the years. It is one of my best talents. Most of the time the new pot fits well and seems to make sense. Like planting smaller flowers around a central larger flower. I don’t mind being a supporting smaller flower. However, when I think about what retirement looks like, that’s when I believe I will finally have a pot of my own that I can grow into the larger central flower. I’d like to think the pot will be painted with tiny pink flowers on the side.

Water daily as needed

Every plant needs water to grow. The trick is to not water too much or too little. Too much and the leaves turn yellow and mushy. Too little and the leaves turn brown and fall off. We need to tend to ourselves daily as well. We need to be nourished daily, in mind, body and spirit. Forcing yourself to take that time is important. Without it we will begin to wither.

At one point a couple of years ago. I found myself focusing on work so much I was making myself ill. I had gained so much weight my doc told me if I didn’t do something soon, I wouldn’t live another 10 years. A few weeks later I went to my manager and told him that I needed more flexible hours. I needed to take some time to get my health back in line. So that is what I did. For a year and a half, I focused primarily on my health. I lost 80 lbs. I got off some of my meds. My high blood pressure was gone, and I was regularly walking 3.5 miles 6 days a week. It also improved my marriage. I hadn’t realized that I was spending so much time focusing on work that I was neglecting our relationship. Our walks everyday brought us back together. No phones are allowed on our walks. Just spending time together. When we skip our walks for whatever reason we both feel a hole in our day. It’s important to take care of you.

During this pandemic getting the time to nourish myself daily has gotten harder. There are fewer boundaries in a work from home environment. It is harder to get away for those walks. The refrigerator is too close in proximity. I am finding my way back though. I am rediscovering music, gardening, walking, friendships, and me.

How does your garden grow? I would love to hear how you recharge and make time for your growth.

For those following my garden adventures: Here are some side by sides from this year:

It’s been busy for the last few weeks in our household.

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day was an all-weekend long affair as each of my children stopped by to visit on different days. This holiday has always felt a little uncomfortable for me. I love spending time with my kids and my grandkids, but I must admit that parental holidays always feel a little like your family is being pressured into worshiping at the altar of Mom or Dad with each child bringing their offerings to please you. I would be just as satisfied if they came over to do laundry or to hang out and play video games. I just like having them around. No gifts required. This said my favorite part of this year’s holiday was getting my first hugs from my grandkids in over a year. Vaccinations are a wonderful thing. Get yours if you haven’t, you won’t regret it.

One of the offerings to the altar of Mom, fingers crossed I can keep it alive this time

In remembrance of Cleo

While Mother’s Day was a bit of a high for me, it was tempered by a big low. We said goodbye to our family pet of 17 years, Cleo. A tiny little cat who ruled over our house like an evil overlord. It’s oddly quiet without her. I still fight with the occasional bout of tears when I find myself missing her constant meowing and puking on my laptop. She was an obnoxious cat, but we loved her more than life itself.

Her companion, Mila, a passive aggressive tortie, is still trying to figure out where her cranky friend has gone. To be fair, I understand her apprehension as this is the third pet to have gone missing from her life in the last year. We lost Lexi, our dog to diabetes last June and Haku moved out with my youngest daughter in November. However, she seems to be ready to move on. Apparently, two weeks’ worth of mourning is sufficient, as this week she has started assuming ownership of Cleo’s favorite sleeping spots, including my husband’s lap.

Miss Cleo, we love you, we miss you and we will see you on the other side.

Cleo, letting us know the wash needs to be done

How does your garden grow?

Spring is a time of renewal. We have started planting the garden in anticipation of long summer nights spent outdoors. This is always a challenge for us. We love our house, but we have a deficit of yard space. You see, our house has no back yard to speak of. It backs directly onto a park. On the plus side it cuts back on mowing and yard maintenance, but the lack of privacy is a bit of a downer.

To help you visualize this… take two apartment patios x two and paste them together lengthwise and this is our backyard space. With the pandemic rules being so… flexible, we need space to socialize with family, so I have set up a small table with two chairs and a vertical staggered planter with flowers, herbs, and lettuce and called it good.

In my front yard I am growing tomatoes, carrots, strawberries, and flowers. To be fair, I only expect the flowers to survive. I am great at growing children but plants, not so much. Still, I soldier on as I enjoy puttering around out there and my war with the aphids is nothing if not a little humorous for my husband. At present we will call the state of affairs — so far, so good. I’ll let you know if reinforcements are needed.