As if raising two little humans wasn’t enough, I must admit I absolutely love adding flowers, herbs, vegetables, fruits and other plant-y friends to the mix every summer.
While I might be a green thumb now, I wasn’t always. In so many ways, getting started in the garden reminds me of the early days and years of parenting. When my firstborn entered the family I was constantly monitoring, questioning, and Googling. “Why is my baby grunting in his sleep?” isn’t so different than, “Why are my daisy leaves getting crunchy?” Nurturing life is full of questions, uncertainty, and lifelong learning.
And much like the parenting community, there is a gardening community in neighborhoods, friend groups, and online that are just as eager to discuss your plant questions and relish in just how well your roses are blooming. They’ll help you feel less alone when grasshoppers are munching on all your favorite plants and even supply a regular diet of gardening and plant memes. Plant people are hilarious.
What I’m saying is, if you haven’t already considered it, consider joining me for a hot garden girl summer! C’mon in, the soil is fine.
But where to start? I have tips . . .
Begin Close to Home
While there are many gorgeous blooms I’d love to cultivate, a lot of them are doomed to fail if I plant them at 6,200 feet in the semi-arid, high desert climate where I live. My husband asked me if I could add a palm tree to our yard and I simply stared at him. Blankly.
You’ll far increase your chances of success by choosing plants that are native to your area. And Google is more than happy to help you decide which plants those might be.
Container Gardening
This is a great place to start, especially if you have limited ground space or difficult soil conditions where you live. Essentially, container gardening is planting in pots or planter boxes and helps you to choose the soil and better control the moisture levels. You can also adjust the lighting conditions based on where you put your container.
Don’t be afraid to experiment! Flowers not doing well? Try more water… try less water… move them to a sunnier spot… move them to a shadier spot. Ask your fellow gardeners for tips. All the same experimentation and consultation we do to become better moms are the same skills you can use to become a better gardener.
Fail Fearlessly
At the end of the day, nurturing these little plant lives should be more fun than fear.
If you’ve been labeled a thumb of death in the past, get yourself unhooked from that nonsense and remind yourself that the best way to learn is to fail, regroup, and learn from it.
Mindful Moments and Modeling
One of my favorite parts of the summer day-to-day is the minutes I spend watering and tending to my plants. Trimming off dried blooms, patiently waiting and watching as new ones emerge, and involving my children in the process.
My kids don’t have big pets to appreciate the effort and beauty that comes along with nurturing life. But all summer long, they get to watch their mom and more importantly get involved in the process themselves.
I love those quiet moments in the garden together, noticing the colors and textures, listening to the sounds and feeling the breeze, eating our homegrown strawberries, and letting ladybugs crawl across our fingers.
These are the memories I recall from my childhood, in the garden with my mom. I hope these are the same memories that stick with my kids.
So whatever your background, take my dirty garden-gloved hand and join me. The beauty of life awaits!
