Beginnings

This is my very first blog post about gardening. While gardening has been a lifelong passion of mine, I rarely talk about it. It always seemed too nerdy to my younger self. It is also a rather solitary activity. I lose myself and all sense of my surroundings when I am engaged in it. And “it” could be pouring over seed catalogs, potting up young seedlings, or removing weeds. Weeding is one on my favorite things! It has only been the past few years that I have found other kindred spirits who like to garden. Over time, I have become more confident in my knowledge and experience to at least share some things with anyone who will listen. I have also found my voice in teaching my daughter about gardening.

I have a daughter who is three and she is fantastically curious about all things. I can tell her about this plant or that flower and she will absorb it like a sponge. We talk about bugs in the soil and how to know if a radish is ready to pick. She always wants to help me water and plant. And she also likes weeding! From the moment she was born, I took her out into the garden and let her experience all the sensations a newborn can. I put flowers up to her nose and put her feet in the grass. She was born in late summer so the hummingbird migration had just started. We sat outside silently waiting for the tell-tale squeak and buzz of the hummingbird as it swooshed down from its perch at the top of the water oak (Quercus nigra) to the firebush (Hamelia patens) at the end of the patio. And every time she would wave her arms or move her head to let me know she heard it even though she was too young to see it.

As soon as she could walk, she was crushing my seedlings by stomping in the lettuce bed. And now she is very interested in watering plants, often giving too much watering love. Her curiosity knows no bounds and together we are learning about the garden, nature, and ourselves. She has given me the confidence to take the next step into sharing my passion for gardening with others. And so I begin, as a humble gardener, with a goal of sharing what I have learned in the hopes that it will inspire others. I will never know all there is to know about gardening, but I know there are thousands of other people like me out there who enjoy gardening as much as I do. To you all I say, Welcome to Rose & Bee!