The Landless Gardener's New Year’s Resolutions

This is the time of year when we take stock in what we have accomplished and what we failed to achieve. We set lofty expectations for ourselves and we promise, with deep sincerity and intent, that this is the year we will …

I have been down that path many times, as have you I am certain. The thing is, a new year does not make us a new person no more than it makes a garden brand new. A garden will grow what we planted the past year, such as perennials and bulbs. It will be bigger, taller, maybe lusher, but in essence it is the same garden.

A new garden doesn't magically appear. A new garden is coaxed, it is tended to, planned for and nurtured year-round. It is watered and weeded in the summer and revised, mulched, protected from biting winter winds and given new plants in the early spring. This year let's take a lesson from a garden we love. Remember all the time and attention that was given to that little plot of earth to make it remarkable and set an intention to spend as much time on ourselves, coaxing forth our greatness and forgiving ourselves when things don't go quite as planned. Gardeners know, even the best-planned garden has its hiccups, but we learn and live to garden anew.