What’s your most valuable gardening tool? A favorite hoe? A treasured soil knife? A high-quality pair of pruning shears? All of these are handy, but really, one of the most important tools that any gardener can have is a good sense of humor. Start taking yourself or your garden too seriously, and it’s almost guaranteed that something humbling will happen to take your self-esteem down a notch or two. But hey, who said gardening was supposed to be serious, anyway? It’s not all fun and games, of course; lots of it is hard work. But if you can laugh off some of the inevitable mistakes and small disasters, it’s a whole lot easier to get back out there and keep trying to get it right.
So this month, let’s share some of the ways we try to keep things light-hearted in our gardens. Ornaments, for instance, provide endless possibilities for chuckles (and possibly even snickers, if they’re really tacky). You don’t have to admit to having them in your own garden; pretend you saw them somewhere else, and we’ll pretend to believe you. Silly signs are another fun way to express your personality and add a touch of whimsy. Or maybe you’re a fan of those giant gladiolus, double coneflowers, candy-striped zinnias, polka-dotted variegates, and other gaudy plants that send more serious gardeners into fits. Don’t be shy – you’re not alone!
If you’re new to the Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshop, here’s how it works: Write a post on anything related to garden whimsy on your own blog and leave a link here (already-archived posts count too), or jot down your thoughts in a comment below. At the end of the month, I’ll gather all of the links into one summary post for easy reference. If you’re interested in checking out previous GBD Workshops, you can find them here:
Paths and Walkways
Fences and Walls
Arbors and Pergolas
Color in the Garden
Container Plantings
Front-Yard Gardens
Stone in the Garden
Decks, Porches, and Patios
And for those of you who like to know what’s ahead, here’s the list of proposed topics for the next few months of Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshops:
* Trellises and Screens (and vines, too)
* Water Gardens (ponds, waterfalls, bog gardens, and container water gardens)
* Coping with Slopes (groundcovers, terraces, steps, etc.)
Latest posts by Nancy J. Ondra (see all)
- What’s in a Name? Whence They Came - December 17, 2010
- What’s in a Name? Uses, Flavor, and Fragrance - December 2, 2010
- What’s in a Name? Form and Function - November 19, 2010
