Out Of Sight But Not Out Of Minds

Is it just me or do other gardeners feel this way – going away for anything longer than a week is not easy. First, there’s the long list of chores that must be completed in preparing the garden to survive without its caregiver. Weeding, trimming, feeding, fussing, setting up some manner of watering system, a final mowing, imagining all manner of calamities that might occur and setting up measures to mitigate every single one of them. This last one includes drought, storm, high wind, hail, snow (in summer!), heat wave, deluge, locusts, apocalypse – anything could happen in ones absence. I really believe the gardener is certain of one thing – that she can undoubtedly prevent disaster if she’s present.

And so, before getting away last week, frenzied activity ensued in the garden. Extra diligent weeding, cutting back summer perennials so they would not only look neat but grow bushy and flower in abundance, deadheading, staking, feeding generously so the plants would not starve, setting up an elaborate watering system for anything in a pot. This set up waters at regular intervals, senses when it has or is raining and therefore will not turn itself on. Quite ingenious really. I’d like something similar that will not turn on my hunger pangs when my last meal was a mere two hours ago.

I’ve arranged for my nephew to come by regularly to check that everything is in order and there’s no system failure. Most importantly, he knows to clean and refill the hummingbird feeders – I’ve made a copious amount of the sugar water and stored it in the refrigerator. And the tiny lawn will be given a cursory mowing periodically just so it looks tended to. The plants in the ground must fend for themselves – they should be fine. They are a hardy, mostly native bunch. Short of really extreme weather, they will come through without my oversight quite happily. And yet, I’m always loathe to say goodbye.

I worry. I can’t help it.

There’s also the sadness of missing out on all the beautiful riot of flowers that will go unseen, unappreciated. I’ve asked aforementioned nephew to take a million photographs. Daily. It’s been a week and not a single image has been received. I’m clinging to the idea that no news is good news.

Herewith are photos I took just before I left last week: