The Lessons of 2008

I've only been gardening for two seasons now, and really, to even call what I do to my tiny front yard "gardening" is a stretch. But that tiny size presents its own set of challenges, and at this scale any mistake can be a big deal. And a lesson. Though I don't enjoy the act of gardening - it's tedious and my hands get dirty - I'm definitely drawn to the learning process of trial and error, even if I'm forced to wait months to put what I've learned to use. So what lessons have I learned? The first was simply that I can do it, followed by more practical things such as "don't plant too close together no matter how bare soil looks in May" or "water but don't overwater." So far 2008's lessons are all about fine tuning, paying attention to what works and what doesn't. Next year I'm going to plant more astilbe, thin the ornamental grass early in the season, let the creeping jenny do whatever it wants, skip bulbs entirely, go absolutely overboard in the window box, and a few dozen wildflowers on the easeway wouldn't be such a bad thing.