As long as I can remember, gardening has been a part of my life.  When I was little, my grandparents lived next door to us and my grandfather always had a beautiful vegetable garden.    At the end of his garden he had a row of gladiolas.  Every year he dug them up and replanted them the next spring. He loved his gladiolas.

My grandmother on the other side of the family was also a    gardener.  I never personally knew my grandmother because she died when I was quite young, but I remember the stories my mom would tell of her mother’s beautiful perennials.  As I remember her delphiniums were her favorite flower and a great source of pride.

When my sisters and I were about ten we cleared a little piece of land and planted our own gardens.  Our grandfather gave us daffodil and narcissus bulbs to plant in our gardens.  Long after the gardens returned to the wild, the daffodils would still come up every spring.

Some people can name every car on the road.  My sisters and I could name flowers or trees.  We learned their names practically when we learned to talk.  I don’t remember all of them anymore, but I sometimes find myself reading a flower encyclopedia and relearning the names of ones I’ve forgotten or learning new ones that I’ve never met yet.

I find gardening a very satisfying activity.  I like dirt and I never tire of the miracle of watching a tiny seed shoot out stems, then leaves, buds and then a flower.  The variety of the designs and the exquisite colors never seize to amaze me.

For many years my garden had to take a back seat to my career. I am a retired teacher, but even during the busiest years when I was raising my family and working full time I always had some sort of garden. 

Now that I am retired, the garden has grown...almost too much.  If fact, my problem now is that it is on the verge of too big.  How could that happen?    

...and I have realized I like writing about it also, which brings us to today!

Gardens do not have to be fancy or even big to give you satisfaction.  Your garden might consist of only a window box or a potted cherry tomato.  Maybe it’s a narrow strip next to the foundation of your home or maybe it’s your whole back yard. No matter what your situation or space you can have a garden and it’s something everyone in your family can have a stake in.