You may have read some of this already as I have written some of it already. But with the ups and downs of life, I never finished writing it. I am going to finish my garden story now. But first, I will tell you how the whole adventure started.
Two years ago I hit rock bottom. I had already seen my doctor a couple of months before and measured severely depressed on the depression scale test. I had started medication and counselling, but I continued to slide down hill for a couple of months until hitting the bottom in February. I can see the pattern now. I hit rock bottom in February and in September. These are the months that we lost Lorelei and Craig. My body and heart remember even when my mind tries to hide.
While I was hanging out on the bottom, sleeping and watching a lot of TV, my friend had recommended I watch Big Dreams, Small Spaces, a TV series with Monty Don in which people do big renovations to their small gardens. I decided I wanted to re-do my garden (you can read about that in my first post here) . I thought it would be a good idea to help with the depression; to get me outside, off the couch, doing something healthy. I love planning big projects, so this was the perfect activity.
It started simple. Taking notes on the plants I liked that suited my conditions, or things I liked in gardens, clipping pictures from magazines, sketching some ideas. I created a collage of my dream garden, like a vision board. Slowly the idea grew. I decided to go with a west coast theme: water and mountains for the structural elements. I also wanted to mimic the feeling of sitting on the patio of a French restaurant, the romantic lighting and relaxed ambiance.
When the weather turned nice, but most the plants were still dormant, it was time to start. Time to move plants into pots and start digging up the old garden (you can find that in my second and third garden posts here and here). I spent a lot of time unsure where to start and unsure if I should go through with it, but I did start. Once I started, I was committed. Some days I only went outside and did one or two things, other days I spent the whole day outside. Small steps. Eventually the whole project gained momentum. It was a pretty epic adventure. It did help me a lot and it still does today. It is always good to get outside and putter in my garden. To see what is growing. To be in nature. In fact, this very afternoon I was outside, pulling out dead leaves and cleaning up the winter debris.
This is the story I will share over the next several blog posts. Feel free to share in the adventure with me 🙂 Or even to start your own great garden renovation!
