The fragrant garden.

Lavender garden.

                                  
                    "When you walk through 
                          a fragrant garden
                       it's like listening to a 
                              Symphony."
                                           -Mike Shoup



    
                                  
                                              
                                                               
                                   
                                    
                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                      
 I spent the last three days in the garden and am happy to say I have finally finished edging, turning soil and weeding. Not that weeding is ever really finished but it feels like it if only for a day.

 I have what I like to call my 'Zen' garden, it consists of ground covers, grasses and flagstone. I have a stone bench, a Buddha,  and a fountain. It was meant to be a quite spot in my yard, a place of peace.

  Now I have found in the spring it has become the last place I want to go, I seem to avoid it and leave it to the last of my garden chores. Yes, it is a chore.  

My 'Zen' garden.

 I leave some of my grasses, the ones with winter appeal, until the spring to cut back which has proven to be difficult at best. The plants seem to grow quickly in this garden and by the time I decide to clean it out it is very unruly. Then, I leave it longer because I can't bring myself to go in there and yes then it
has grown even more. So all that said, it is now finally cleaned out and it looks really good, even peaceful.

Peace

 I was also pulling a few weeds out of a step that is a bed of ground cover yesterday. My dog was close by not paying to much attention until I was among the Lemon Thyme. She came over very curious trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. She had her nose in the garden bin smelling, eagerly looking for something good to eat. She does the same to the lavender, sticking her head right into it and giving it a shake, she also loves the mint, basil and tomatoes.

Step filled with ground covers.

                                                                 

 Scent. It has been said that smell is one of the strongest triggers for memory. It is one of my favorite things in the garden.  I love to plant Lemon Thyme in a place like the step or my 'Zen' garden so when I lightly tread on it, it will emit a lovely lemon scent. As I mentioned I have Lavender, a whole bed of it and I love to run my hands through it just to get that amazing smell. Another favorite is Pineapple Sage, it has such a strong scent and a beautiful red flower in the fall. I usually plant it among my flowers so I get to enjoy it whenever I am working in that bed.
  If for nothing else but for their scent I suggest you plant some herbs. Be it an herb garden, potted herbs or a few tucked in with your flowers, you will not be disappointed. So go out and plant a fragrant garden.

Happy Gardening!