My favorite Coneflower "Sundown"I started this blog with the intention of being able to reflect back and have a journal of sorts with pictures and a record of the progress in my garden. I have learned a great deal from other garden blogger's and very much enjoy the "garden blogging community". Blotanical has been a great place to meet new people and discover new gardening blogs. If you have never visited this is a "must see" garden website. I only wish I had more time each day to read all the great blogs, but I'm working on it :).
Gardening for me is a sort of therapy, it brings me joy and is an outlet for when I'm stressed. Everyday after work I take a walk through my garden to wind down the day. I love seeing the changes that happen, some even daily, truly amazing I'd say.
In October of 2004 WJ and my eldest daughter (who was 16 at the time) were in a motorcycle accident. They went for a ride around the block on US 40 and a semi pulled out of a laundry mat in front of them. Needless to say they suffered very serious and permanent injuries and are blessed to even be alive. It was and sometimes is still tough to deal with, most times they both handle it better than I, and I have to say I am very proud of them both.
In 2005 we moved out of the city to the country, in the home we are living in now with the huge lot and blank slate for gardening. It is what saved us all. It motivated WJ to get outdoors and live life again, it helped my daughter to meet new and wonderful people of our small community, and gardening was and is my therapy.
Sometimes it takes a tragedy to realize what is important in life and to slow down and take a look around you, and that is when I started gardening more passionately.
Why do you garden?
Here are some pictures of random things as I walked through my garden in July.
Cosmo
Unknown name Lily
Coneflower "Sundown"
False Sunflower
Busy Bee in Hollyhocks
Bee Balm
Daylily "Pandora's Box"
Pink Coneflower
Coleus "Freckles" with Orange Sedge
And finally my much "needed to be weeded" veggie garden
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10 comments:
I love that Sundown Coneflower.
Coneflowers are one of my favorite pernnials.
Your flowers are beautiful Karen. I garden for the same reason to relieve stress. I think every family has some heartache, my eldest son was diagnosed bi-polar 3years ago and it has been very hard on him and the rest of us. We take it one day at a time and count our blessings for each day we have together as a family.
Karen, gardening is great for stress but in the face of tragedy it keeps some of us going. I always liked gardening but when my son was killed in a car accident 6 years ago, gardening became more than a hobby for me.
When I get sad/stressed I just think of the garden, plan my or an imaginary garden in my head.
Thank you for sharing your reason to garden and I send your family best wishes from England.
Karen I can also say that my garden and my blog are my place of respite!
A place that I can slow down rewind and put life's worries aside for a while!
My mother suffers from Dimentia which is a full time weight on my shoulders.My garden allows me to focus on just all of Natures wonders and my blog is my journal of all that I see.
I'm also listed on Blogtanical!
Have a wonderful day in your garden of bliss! :)NG
A very insightful post, Karen. I think that gardening provides a form of therapy for many of us. I have been very fortunate in life in terms of health and family, but gardening for me was also a way of relieving stress from overwork. Now I think of it as a creative outlet as well.
Coneflowers are my favorite, too!
I was already into gardening when my sister & housemate was killed by a drunk driver. I truly believe that gardening saved my life. That following summer I created a new garden out of most of my front lawn. All the physical activity left me exhausted enough to sleep, & the new plants gave me something to look forward to. Thank goodness for gardens.
TO ALL MY FELLOW GARDENERS:
Thanks for your comments and sharing your stories! ALL truly inspiring!
Karen, it's so sad to hear about your tragedy. I'm glad you are all finding ways to deal with it and put some joy back into your lives. Hope things get better for your family as time passes.
Your garden photos are beautiful. I especially love the coneflower. Just look at the lovely colors blended into the petals.
Marnie
Karen-
I was drawn to your post because of the photo of the echinacea. But once I started reading it, I had tears in my eyes. I don't know what to say except that you are blessed with a wonderful spirit and essence that comes through in your writing. I can only imagine both the gratefulness you feel for having your children alive but the pain you experience because of the severity of their injuries. I will keep both of them, as well as you, in my thoughts. Fran
Gosh Karen I am glad to hear that you are all healing from the tragic accident.
Why do I garden?? Well, becasue I have to. If I don't garden or get outside every day I become morose. I think it is a creative outlet for me. It is a place I can find a bit of solitude. I am always needed there.
Only one time in my adult life that I remember not wanting to garden. That was right after my Mother died. It took me about a year to even be able to think about the garden. It is odd that I was feeling that way because she was always a gardener and I am sure this is why I have gardening as an ingrained behavior. Her father was a farmer. So gardening runs deep in my family. Even my Stepdad at 87 would like a garden and I couldn't say "why?" to him because I know why even if I can't explain it.
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