||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB |||
I will begin with the Nice List, knowing that this must be a very long list because gardens and gardeners bring so much joy to so many people! At the top, of course, are our loyal garden heroes: the bees and butterflies, who never complain about working overtime; the earthworms, who work behind the scenes underground without ever asking for applause; and the compost, that unsung miracle quietly spinning table scraps into gold. Mulch, you’re on the list too — thank you for keeping everyone cozy all winter.
And naturally, all of you — the heart, soul and spirit of this garden club — are firmly on the Nice List. You’ve shared seeds and stories, traded tips and cuttings with your fellow enthusiasts, and shown that friendship blooms best in good company. You have volunteered and worked tirelessly to make this the best club on Orcas Island. And even if you said you’d divide that overgrown perennial this year for the fifth year in a row and didn’t get around to it or let those beautiful invasives stay in your garden one year longer because they are so lovely, you still make the list. Personally, I checked in with the North Pole and I can confirm my position on the list is safe even though every time I went to buy one plant I came home with five or six.
Holiday Greetings Gardeners,
As the holidays begin to settle in and the tinsel starts to sparkle, my mind is imagining Santa out there checking his Naughty and Nice Lists — and I wondered if we should check in with the gardening world to see where we all fall on that famous list!
Now, I must turn my attention to the Naughty List… as we all know, every good garden has a few scoundrels, rascals and downright thugs. The slugs and aphids have certainly been up to no good again and so have the snails. And the deer who treated our flowerbeds like an all-you-can-eat buffet deserve a lump of coal —you’re all officially on probation. I might also give a gentle warning to the weeds that pop up no matter how much we pull them; they’re not exactly polite guests as they continue to show up without invitation. Even that one hose nozzle that’s always leaking might need to rethink its behavior before next spring.
Still, even the “naughty” ones remind us what it means to be gardeners: patient, forgiving, and full of wonder and curiosity. After all, every challenge makes the blooms more endearing, and every bare patch of soil holds the promise of potential beauty for next season.
So as we celebrate the holidays, let’s celebrate the nice and the naughty, the blooms and the bugs, the sun and the rain and most of all each other. Because together, the garden with all of its imperfectly perfect characters fill our ever-changing worlds with new life, renewed energy and an overwhelming spirit of joy.
Thank you all for a beautiful year of friendship, laughter, and growth (both in our gardens and in ourselves). May your holidays be merry, your poinsettias perky, and your bulbs dream of endless spring!
With warmth and a sprinkle of garden glitter…
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Comments are closed.