Talking to Plants: My Zen Moments

Gardening is a good place to find your Zen. It is especially good after a rain when you can pull the entire root easily. There is nothing so Zen as the "human against nature" conflict and pulling a long rooted walnut seedling, with root entirely intact from the ground. What is it about walnuts this year? There seems to be more than ever and I am a good 500 feet from any walnut! Those squirrels!

My neighbor has trapped 5 red squirrels this year! They are the worst kind, literally chewing through wooden buildings and into your home. I watched one climb my weeping birch the other day and make a good faith leap to my roof, to hopefully, scamper further on to the massive white pine that dwarfs my home (versus chewing into my soffit somewhere). His agility was something to behold and I did not wish him well.

I spent 5 hours weeding my front yard and mowing. It is a small yard. I could spend another 5 hours on the front yard. I took 2 huge (3' x3' x3') bags of material to our municipal composting area. I like to chop and drop but this was mostly invasive grass and the sorrel that, I swear, sets seeds the minute it germinates and tastes like lemon and "Baby Gardener" insists is entirely edible.

While having my Zen Moment, I came to understand that as a gardener, I need to edit. The bones of a fantastic garden are here. I need to sort it out. Edit out those plants that are not in their right spaces. You Hosta that are not mounding... I am looking at you! Monarda? Know your place! It is not runner rooting over in front of the lilies. Or Obedient plant... do not grow in the 'Concord Grape' Spiderwort!