by Jon Coe

Created on: June 14, 2007

I have had many gardens and have worked in many more. No two gardens are alike. They each face in different directions, they each have different grades of soil and they each have a funny way of letting you know what is right and what is wrong.

A garden is of the earth and that earth is of this world and this world has it's place and time for everything. Cutting corners will not help you as the garden will only give you back, a fraction of what effort you put into it. Sometimes, it will give you more, but only if you are prepared to unhinge yourself from your expectations and look for the results in alternative ways.

My gardens have always taught me so many things and they have never been easy. In fact, there is only one way, in gardening and that is the hard way!

Survival of the fittest is one key thing to remember, when it comes to gardening. It doesn't matter how much fertilizer you use or how much nurturing you do, it only takes one seed to do the job. You can plant a thousand of them and sometimes, only ten will sprout. The land is the land and it has it's laws!

Nature is a wonderful thing! Nature can be cruel and it can be rewarding. When it is cruel, it teaches you that you should never give up. When it is rewarding, it pays you well and teaches you, that giving up, was not the option! The reward, or payment for hard work, may not be something that you can hold in your hands or show to the neighbors, but it is something that you can take where ever you go, in your mind and in your soul and heart.

The land is a fantastic place to give a part of yourself to. The land is where the true heart of this planet exists. Your house may have all of the comforts that you desire, but the garden is the place where it all comes together.

Your garden will eventually call you for attention. Your garden is the place, that when you look out of your window, you will notice it beckoning you to it. This may not happen whilst you are young, but eventually, it will call, as you get older.

There is a true balance to be found in your garden and it has everything to do with you. If you are not a gardener, over time, you will slip into that role, as it is your duty, to balance that little corner of land with yourself and your place on this earth.

A garden is a place where everything can grow and flourish. The more you grow and nurture, the more it will flourish and the more wild life you will attract. Learn to share your garden well. Greed is not welcome in the laws of nature. The more you give, the more you will receive, and this is what gardening and my gardens, have taught me, the hard way and the only way!

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