Wow – I have written 100 posts under the title Old Lady Gardener. I know this because this morning I was surprised to type 100. So I looked back over my stats. I have written over 933 posts all together in this blog. I started it in 2013. The Garden idea came in 2022 – now with 100 posts.
This idea came when my gardens were being over run with invasive plants (weeds to me). I knew I needed to focus what I was doing in the garden but I also realized I have been writing away here with little moments but with no real focus. It felt confused just like my garden. A little plant here and another one there. A few words here and there with no real connections other than they were events or activities I was involved in.
I had been retired long enough I felt the need to get organized about a few things in my life. No, not my office closet – that may be next winters organization. I wanted my garden to hold together and have a flow to it. I also needed to record that work somewhere and the somewhere became this blog. I also have been recording each season in a garden notebook. This contains the plants growing and planted. The seed charts for planting, germinating and planting out in the garden. It has rain fall, snow fall and temperatures for the days I am writing. This is detail that I don’t include here.
I admit the blog is still not totally focused on the garden. Writing about Little Man or my art still creeps in but there are times like now that not much is happening in the garden. Well, actually a lot is happening but most of it is underground. It is very slow now as winter tries to hold on and not allow spring to really jump forward at the rate we were. So a few side writings show up from time to time.
My garden is also not in a flow state yet but has come a long ways. Last fall there was lots of clean up and removal of those invasive species. Creeping Charlie, I am talking about at you! I have lots of flower seeds started. There is a beginning of a planting chart so I feel like I am on my way to make sense of things. I hope to record here and in my garden journal what is blooming and the changes to come. I will be looking for colors that might be missing and holes where things can be planted. This spring I will also be watching to see what plants did not handle a winter without snow.
So here is to 100 garden posts! To Writing, Sharing and Small moments in the Garden!
Also a Big Thank You to Two Writing Teachers and a long ago offer to be part of the Minnesota Writing Project. These to groups of wonderful people started my writing and have kept me going for years! Community is a wonderful thing! Thanks folks for coming along for the ride!
All images are from past gardens. They are the joys to watch for this spring and summer as the gardening season comes into full play this year!
See you in the Garden or on the page!
Words from JL 
I love that you write so much about gardening. I love flowers, love reading about other people’s gardens and what they are growing. Love seeing pictures of someone’s flowers. I usually post a little bit about my garden, and I’m surprised I haven’t yet. Maybe soon. I would write way more about it if the challenge was over the summer. That’s when I really actually garden. Spring I just watch the bulbs pop out of the ground and bloom.
Anyway, love your blog!
Thanks, It is a slow time for gardens for sure. I am waiting for those bulbs as well! Thanks for reading.
I have so many of my bulbs already blooming! Almost all of my daffodils are blooming. My crocuses have already bloomed and are gone. My hyacinths are all starting to bloom. It’s all so beautiful!
Oh were do you live? I am in Minnesota – Minneapolis so we are usually still buried in snow but this year it near came so my bulbs are up early. Only the Snowdrops and Aconite in bloom now.
I’m in the western Chicago suburbs. My parents are on Rockford, a little farther north west of us and they are at least 2 weeks behind us.