4 Steps to The Green Space of Your Dreams!
Gardening can be as easy or as difficult as you make it. It can be cheap or expensive. It can be an ongoing maintenance nightmare OR it can be your paradise, created at your speed and ability to maintain it.
Step # 1
Ignore Peer Pressure!
You may have been chastised, as I have, on Facebook, Insta, or X by anal retentive gardeners who say you need to make your garden more tidy and picture perfect … well I say IT’S NOT ABOUT THEM ITS ABOUT YOU!
Ignore their comments and make it your dream space. Make it your place to protect your peace and tranquility.
Do it for yourself … not for what others will think or approve of. Our society is generally about bigger and better and faster and louder, but it is okay to have your green space the way you want it. It doesn’t have to be a showcase to compete with the neighbors, or friends, or co-workers. Your green space doesn’t have to be showy or loud or manicured or maintained to look like anyone else’s except your own. Be true to yourself.
If you enjoy peace and quiet, then create that for yourself. If you like snakes, then create a snake garden. If you enjoy growing your own food … then create an edible landscape. If you love volunteer wildflowers, then let them grow and bring you joy! It’s your space. It’s your garden. It’s your life. It’s your happiness that matters, so do what makes you happy. Unless you’re causing harm to others, then go for it. You are the one who has to live in the space so make it a place of retreat and joy for yourself. After all, unless you’re wealthy, the only spot of land you will have control over is your tiny bit of the planet so be the best caretaker of it you can possibly be.
As one of your peers I’m giving you permission to create your space the way you want it to be. Making yourself happy is the most important thing, so follow your vision despite what others think. It’s your living space, so make it cozy and comfortable for you and your family.
Step # 2
Be Patient and Accept Things as They Are
Let things grow and find their own space. You can always remove, cut down, or transplant, the plant that you tried in any given spot and it didn’t work out. It may take several tries until you get the plant in the spot it really loves and thrives in. Don’t be afraid to move plants and try them in different spots of your yard.
Accept things as they are with all of their flaws and imperfections. Worrying that everything needs to be perfect just causes undue stress.
Step # 3
Be Open to Change
Getting things right usually means being open to changing things … sometimes many times. If you experiment with different plants in the locations you are working on you will eventually find just the right one, but trying different plants may be the path to the final result that you love. Being open to change will allow you the freedom to keep trying until you get that spot just right.
I used to stress over keeping a plant or garden area alive simply because … the neighbor gave me the plant, or someone said it was a great plant, and a dozen other reasons. The plain truth is if it doesn’t bring you happiness, and you wish it were different, then change it to what suits YOU. After all it is your green space and garden. You are the one that has to live in it every day. So, do what makes you happy. Regift the plant or give it your blessings and put it in the compost bin. It is too easy to get hung up on something over the guilt we feel for changing the way we want it.
I allow many areas to go wild in the spring and then mow them off in the summer or once the plants are finished producing flowers. There may be a few wildflowers still alive in the area, but for the overall good of the spot I will bite the bullet so to speak and sacrifice the remaining ones so next season the patch will look even better. Some years my wildflower patches are displaced by completely different ones. Accepting rather than fighting change just makes life flow so much easier. I accept what Mother Earth provides and am extremely grateful that I developed the patience to do so.
Step # 4
Do What Makes You Happy!
Even if it’s silly and your friends and neighbors think you’re nuts … do it. Let them create their space to suit them … you create yours to suit you.
I have a difficult time with keeping grass and weeds out of certain areas so I like to use old area rugs to cut down on my maintenance. If you would like to try using old rugs to keep down the weeds, or grass, then check out my article Recycling Area Rugs in Your Garden.
For years I left out a section in my article on Landscaping for Reptiles & Amphibians because the general public is afraid of snakes and most people avoid them. My peers kept reminding me that gardeners don’t do snakes. Well, it’s my site, and my article, so I’m going to do what makes me happy and write about attracting snakes to your green space. So if you’re interested read my article about Landscaping for Reptiles & Amphibians with my new section on how to attract snakes to your green space or garden.
For years I didn’t want to disappoint my friends, and mentors, but after dealing with lupus for decades, and being in denial, I began to do what made me happy and worked on getting over the guilt of letting others, and myself, down. After all, my body was not able to do the things it used to be able to do, so I had to learn to be grateful for what I could do. I learned to let things be and was overjoyed when nature gave me little presents of wildflower meadows or volunteer plants. It’s about us … and our garden and green space … no one else … IT IS ABOUT US …so protect your peace and make yourself happy! 🙂
Check out this article at HonestlyModern.com for some ideas and tips to lawn alternatives …
8 Simple Tips For Eco-Friendly Lawn Alternatives
