Christmas is nearly upon us, and I saw a statistic in the weekend paper that nearly floored me. Christmas spending in Canada will reach $20 billion this year. All this because of a baby who was born in a cave where animals lived, to an impoverished family! A subject much greater than gardening to be sure, but I do want to discuss gifts this week.
Not gifts for gardeners on your shopping list. I’m sure you have done your part, as I have, to help arrive at the $20 billion figure, and gardeners are easy to buy for. The question I want to pose is this. What gifts do we receive from gardening? I have been thinking hard about it, and I’ve come up with my own list that I hope will make you reflect on what’s important this Christmas season.
Gardening gives us the gift of healthy food. If you grow it yourself, you can be pretty sure that there is no risk of contamination from the e-coli bacteria on your spinach. You know what has or hasn’t been sprayed on the tomatoes, and the amount of fuel consumed to transport the produce to your kitchen is the number of calories you burned walking from the garden to your house.
Gardening gives us the gift of beauty. You can create a paradise on a city lot, not only for your own enjoyment, but for the benefit of your neighbourhood and for birds and other wildlife. It’s a gift that never stops giving.
Gardening gives us the gift of healthy living. You can get a cardio and aerobic workout while you pull weeds, cut grass, turn over soil or plant flowers. Working in the garden reduces osteoporosis, keeps arthritic joints mobile and simply gets your heart pumping. It just feels good.
Gardening gives us the gift of connecting with others. Gardeners love to share information with other gardeners. Simply begin shoveling in the flower beds in front of your home, and you’ll meet someone who wants to talk about your endeavours. Garden clubs are great avenues for meeting new people in a community, and in case you didn’t know, gardeners are pretty good people.
Gardening gives us the gift of memories. Some of my very best memories of loved ones who have long since left us revolve around gardening. Gardening is a terrific way for generations to connect, but we need to make sure that kids can enjoy the taste of fresh tomatoes or the joy of cutting a bouquet of flowers for Mom.
Gardening gives us the gift of peace and joy. Pause on a summer evening while working in the garden and listen to the silence. Work out your stresses while ridding the lawn of dandelions. Marvel at the miracle of life as you plant a tiny seed, nurture it and watch it mature into a beautiful flower or a tasty vegetable.
I hope your garden has given you many gifts during the past year. You readers have certainly blessed me with your kind comments about ‘Turf’s Up’ and your suggestions and encouragement.
For that I thank you sincerely, and wish all of you every blessing at Christmas, and the very best growing conditions for the New Year.
