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Taking a walk in the garden

Is there any time more spectacular in the garden than in July?

The roses are just finishing their first round of blooms. The hydrangeas have opened their fluffy heads of flowers. Small tomatoes have appeared where yellow flowers used to be, and the nearby basil scent is at its peak. On purple coneflowers, a new bloom opens each day. The lilacs and cherry trees who had their show earlier this summer sprout new shoots of green growth. A single monarch caterpillar inches along my butterfly weed.

But, just a month ago, our garden had quite a different view. The hydrangeas just revealed green buds on their flowery heads. The tomatoes barely crept up a foot in their cages. Honeysuckle, mock orange, and salvia were at the height of their blooms.

And, three months ago, seeds were just being sowed in their indoor trays, and barely a sprout of green could be seen in the back yard.

Over the last few years, gardening has become a favorite hobby that my husband and I both enjoy. Each year, we add more and more to our yard that used to be just an open length of grass, and shows like “Gardeners’ World” on the BBC have become our own version of slow TV.

Taking a stroll through the garden each day after work, we take note of what is in bloom and what has changed. One day, a flower may be in its peak; the next day, it’s spent. The lilacs and peonies make way for the hydrangeas and roses. Strawberries fade and raspberries appear.

Spending time outdoors and connecting with nature is inarguably good for our health and wellbeing.

There are doctors in Shetland that have even prescribed gardening and connecting with nature as “green prescriptions,” as the National Health Service recognizes its effect on loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

Tending to a garden encourages you to be present. What is in bloom this week? What has grown? What needs to be cut back or trimmed today?

Noting the changes that each day, week, and season brings encourages you to appreciate the cycles that take place year after year. When I see flats of pre-grown annual flowers, many promising to be in constant bloom all season before being discarded, I think of the pleasure lost from seeing the shoots of green each year appear after a long winter and knowing that, each year, I can count on certain blooms to come — and go.

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow,” noted Audrey Hepburn.

Tending to a garden seems to be a radical act against our fast-paced way of life that prioritizes instant gratification and instant results. It takes patience to watch a plant go from seed to bloom. It takes time to ensure each plant thrives in its environment and yields beautiful results.

Tending to a garden encourages us to be present in the current moment, realizing that each bloom comes and goes in its own time and appreciating the cycles that each year brings. And encouraging us — when they’re in glorious bloom, even for a short period of time — to stop and smell the roses.

Anne Gentry graduated from Brown University with a degree in comparative literature and has studied in Italy and South Australia. She is currently executive director of the Alpena Downtown Development Authority.

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