WEED THERAPY

The Therapist is in

Many of us dread the chore of weeding in our gardens, with good reason. But there is definitely some therapeutic value to being among the plants and flowers. The summer heat may keep you from getting too involved, but as the evening cools the air a bit, you should grab a stool and a bucket. Plop down right in the middle of the garden and begin pulling the nasty little weeds that have tried to overtake your precious plantings. As you begin, it may seem that the chore will never end. However, I assure you that with every pull you are one step closer to a beautiful garden. Take notice of all the pollinators and the tiny bugs that are beneficial in many ways. This is also a perfect time to take note of any bugs that may be doing harm to your beloved plants and take action accordingly.

 As you pull weeds from the soil, look at the soil and be able to diagnose issues before they affect your garden.
Beyond all of the possible problems, it is important to take time to just appreciate your blooms or vegetables and look around at the beauty of every living thing, even if that means a weed or two. We must admit that some weeds are quite lovely in their own right, but we don't want them mingled among our planted posies. So, here is where the work starts.

We become more than gardeners- we become groundskeepers, horticultural manicurists, landscapers, and plant doctors. Deadhead spent flower blooms as you weed. As we examine our soil for pests and fungus problems, we search the blooms and foliage for problems that may threaten the well being of our plants, being very careful not to pull our plants out of their nests when we pull out the nearby weeds.
As we sit among the inhabitants of our garden space, we are often lost in thought, but how many of us are thinking about anything too stressful? That's just it, we aren't. If we go to the garden in a negative state of mind, you can rest assured that we will not leave that way.
Weeding is therapy! The plants are our therapists. Quite cheap therapy sessions, also, I might add.

If you find yourself dreading the task, just take it a little at a time. You don't have to do it all in one day and you don't have to meet any deadlines. Just allow yourself some one on one time with your garden and when you finally get the weeds gone, I am sure it will thank you with ongoing beauty. Lose yourself in the perfection of a flower's petals. Get swept away by the scent that lingers in the air or the butterfly wings as they silently travel through. Or, if you are like me, you can revel at the enormous sound generated from a tiny bee.
No matter how you look at it, if you love your garden, you won't mind pulling weeds. If you love nature, you won't mind being in it. If you love all that the day has to offer in life, you won't mind enjoying the moments that you spend in your garden, even if it is spent pulling weeds.
 THE THERAPIST IS IN!
HAPPY GARDENING!