• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Home Garden Companion

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

  • Plant Library On The Journal
    • All Season Garden Color
    • Sitemap
  • Garden chores
    • Essential Garden Tools For Beginners
    • Garden Tips and Advice
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
    • Garden Librarian
  • Ilona’s Garden Flavor Shop
  • Privacy Policy

When The Garden Becomes An Ogre

13.06.07 | Ilona Erwin | 2 Comments

Some of you are not going to know what in the world I am talking about. Either you have smaller gardens, or you are young and full of vigor and energy, or your dreams have never outstripped your means. But some know the taskmaster that the vision of the perfect garden becomes for some of us. Or the garden that used to be, but is not within the easy reach of who we are and what we can do now.

I decided to just enjoy the past two days. I plucked a weed or two, I planted a couple things, I did some necessary watering, but I did not forge ahead full throttle as I had in the past week or so. And as I used to do the entire spring season. At those times, I just thought exhaustion was part of the territory. Now I give myself permission to have an imperfect garden… one that has the heavily edited joys of the small detail, or the sweet, but fleeting fragrance on the wind, … or happiness that a certain container is showing its colorful potential. Trusting that the others will soon likewise blossom, while leaving the yet unweeded parts of the garden for the steady pacing of reasoned effort, and such. Sometimes I have to ask myself, why all the driven obsession with work schedules that start early and end late? What, and who is it for? Or in my shorthand way of thinking: “Martha, Martha”.

“Martha, Martha” You are worried and distracted by so many things, so much to be done, and such hard work…. and where is the joy and the time to smell your well-pruned roses? To what end?

A garden is to be enjoyed, and loved, and when it is the effort of one person, primarily, it must be sized to that person, or allowed some leeway in the progress and the fastidiousness of grooming.

And so I have blogged little, and gardened less, and stared at the sky, and walked around barefoot, and generally took my good old time in my form of carpe diem. I have tamed my ogre of a garden into the true form of an ordinary mix of work and pleasure, a very human effort of a very human and imperfect gardener.

My best to you dear readers- may you enjoy the pleasure of your day and of your gardens.

mature gardener

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

← Previous Post
Garden Renovations
Next Post →
The Long Hot Summer

About Ilona Erwin

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carol says

    June 14, 2007 at 12:47 am

    I love your attitude about the garden. I feel the same way. I’ll have more dreams and plans than time or energy, but that’s okay. The garden is for me and my enjoyment and I never want to be a slave to it!

  2. Me says

    June 14, 2007 at 8:20 pm

    A beautiful post with an excellent ending: a very human effort of a very human and imperfect gardener.

    Thanks!

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Visit for a Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Mission

Finding your way home via the garden path

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book
buy quality plants

You might also like

seeds

National Seed Swap Day in January

Garden advice

What Makes a Low Maintenance Garden?

Create A Child’s Garden, Grow Love For Nature

Growing Indoor Flowers In December

I Found Out About “She Sheds” And Coincidentally, About Friends

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Standouts

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Standouts

August Gardening: Ten Suggestions

What are your ten top choices for perennial plantings?

ilonagarden

With village lights With village lights
Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄 Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄
Instagram post 17935013548845771 Instagram post 17935013548845771
Instagram post 17981374354427684 Instagram post 17981374354427684
Instagram post 17865517706595888 Instagram post 17865517706595888
Gift of flowers by my bedside Gift of flowers by my bedside
#mockorange #juneflowers #ohio #mockorange #juneflowers #ohio
Instagram post 18224713828022497 Instagram post 18224713828022497
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Join Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Hazel Theme by Code + Coconut