Why I Garden

I posted this originally in December, 2006. It holds up, so I’ll post it now as “current”.

• Butterflies and bees
• A desire to make a small positive impact on the environment
• I love landscape architecture, and seem to have some talents for it
• I love stone… especially native karst limestone
• It’s genetic
• I grew up hating involvement with my parent’s gardening (chores), so naturally now I can’t help myself
• Typical suburban yards suck
• It is calming like no other thing to me
• People around me appreciate it: friends, family, neighbors, strangers
• It gives me an endless supply of new things to photograph
• I might inspire my own (step)child one day
• I learn a lot about my natural environment by observing it so closely
• I learn a lot about myself
• I’ve learned some practical skills… like PVC sprinkler pipe repair and, hopefully soon, mortaring stone and brick walls
• It gives me a chance to slow down and embrace patience
• To create a haven for native plants
• I like to putter and build things
• It provides me an artistic outlet