Footprints in the Garden…..
There is nothing like seeing a footprint in a newly planted garden. Whether it is a child’s playful moment or an animal looking for something to eat, footprints in the garden are rarely welcome……(unless you have an hour or so to explore the creative possibilities of garden edging with some cool old plates).
I had just planted a new bed of Oxalis, Oxbloods, Paperwhites and Pigeonberry (a really cool native that is in full bloom with red berries). Larkspur and Poppies had also been sown as well. I have a nice little step stone path beside the garden bed….but yesterday, I noticed a big huge set of careless footprints. In fact, they tromped all over the Oxalis!!!! The poor Oxalis were quished deep into the ground, and I had to do something.
Honestly, the garden bed is so new that I really couldn’t get upset. There is not a defined marker…..so I took some old plates that were salvaged from the flood, and started edging the bed.
Any type of creativity like this leads me onto a dangerous path of Garden ADD…..and so it began.
Plates everywhere. I even took an old wheelbarrow and filled it with dirt (couldn’t find my shovel, so I dug the seasoned composted mulch with my hands….a true ADD fanatic!) I dug up some white Oxalis and some dainty white flowering Jew…..created a fairy garden with little handmade mushrooms out of vases and crystal bowls, with cute china plates adding some whimsy.
All because of a set of footprints.
Sometimes, it is so easy to get frustrated when things don’t go our way. Armadillos and Deer wreaking havoc on the garden, chickens scratching up flowers, children playfully charging through gardens, early or late frosts, too little rain (or too much rain in my situation!!)…..there is always always a reason to grumble when things aren’t perfect. Or…..
We can simply use the unwanted footprints to lead us on a new way of thinking. A new project, a new house, a new perspective and a new creative design. Most of the time, footprints can actually lead us on a better path than originally planned.
Footprints in the garden.
Happy Gardening, my friends.