For the first time, I have my very own outdoor space, as H and I moved into a new home this past winter. I absolutely love spending time outdoors and have been anticipating days spent gardening, cups of tea while lounging under our shady tree, and summer night dinners spent among string lights. With spring’s arrival, I have been especially excited to fill the space with plants and flowers. This weekend presented the perfect weather and opportunity to get started.
On Saturday, we went to Green Door Gourmet, a beautiful farm and market in Nashville, to get flowers to pot. Our patio receives some sun and lots of shade, so I looked for plants that would enjoy that environment. I ended up getting Pink Chablis Dead Nettle, Rockapulco Orange Double Impatiens, Rockapulco Coral Reef Double Impatiens, and a Hippo White Polka Dot Plant.
On Sunday, I begun the day with a thorough cleaning of our patio. I washed the surface with water and mild dish soap, then rinsed with just water. I swept up leaves and debris. I tidied up all empty pots and other things we had stored on the patio. It was looking ready for planting by lunchtime. That afternoon, H dug up a bit of monkey grass in my parents’ yard to plant in our soil so that we would have some green in the border of our patio. I wanted something hardy that would survive growing next to our Norway maple tree, and my hope is that it spreads to fill the space.
When I got home, I planted and watered the monkey grass. I noticed a lot of earth worms in the soil, which I took as a good sign that the soil is healthy and full of nutrients. Then I potted each of the plants from Green Door Gourmet. I even repotted some of my indoor plants and propagated a snake plant. All of this time spent outside in the fresh air, digging in the dirt, felt so good. I felt content and relaxed all while having a very gratifying experience. I realized just how revitalizing and healing gardening can be, and I can’t wait to get more flowers and plants out there and to keep tending to the space and the growth.
Are you doing any gardening this spring?
