The Frugal Gardener
I'm a Tosa resident and gardener for 40 years who loves to save money. I'm the daughter of Maryalice Koehne, an award- winning garden writer. Gardening is holistic and can be inexpensive, let me tell you the deals I've found.
Gardening Style French or English?
Your garden is a reflection of soul and psyche just as gardening can enrich your life. When looking at a yard, I ask myself: “does this homeowner prefer English gardens such as a knot garden or French in the style of Monet?” Is order preferred or rambling? From this, I glean some knowledge of the homeowner's personality or what is going on in their life. When a once perfectly manicured yard falls into disarray, you may wonder, “what is the cause?”
While English garden's tend to be more formal or ordered using more traditional plant materials, French styled landscaped are very geometric, also considered formal but sometimes feel less ordered. American landscapes are a hodge podge of many intertwined styles. See Kew Gardens here: http://www.kew.org/ and Monet's here: http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm#visit .
One's experience with gardening, rooted in helping a beloved family member, contribute to one's landscaping tastes. Often people simply choose plants that appeal to them or those from childhood homes. Sharing plants is a longstanding extended family tradition. Those who catch the gardening bug, can become plant junkies, always in pursuit of the next and newest. This has led to my husband to have me set a plant budget but my yard is filled with shared plants from family and friends. Gardening does not have to be an expensive proposition.
Gardening is great exercise rivaling yoga and rigorous aerobic workouts. The benefits of gardening in the sun are self evident and many achieve their best shape during the gardening season. Perhaps it is the intensity of “getting the job done” skipping snacks or meals or the additional calories burned making the difference. The stretching and bending can be amplified and consciously exaggerated to loosen up old tired muscles and limbs left dormant in the winter months.
Communing with nature has a spiritual element that rejuvenates the soul. Attract birds and butterflies and simply listen to the exchanges of mating birds or playful squirrels and chipmunks. Put up some wind chimes and wait for a gentle breeze to create that tinkling sound. Appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Most of all just start gardening, it's sure to please.
My front walk:
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