Dream Garden version 1.2 (A response to the Grow Write Guild's second writing prompt)
Sunday, May 26, 2013 
"Describe your fantasy garden."
"This exercise has nothing to do with how much money you have, where you live now, or real life. It's pure fantasy. This is the garden you would make if you could do ANYTHING."
Inspiration for the dream: the view from Little Mountain
Oh yes, day-dreaming about my fantasy garden has been easy, pleasant and hard to stop. But writing my response? That was a lot harder to start and even now, nearly impossible to finish. Well, that's not quite true.
During the past six weeks I've jotted down notes in a blog post and kept them unpublished. But now that the peas have now been trained to climb up their teepees, the various seedlings have been potted up or planted out, and the front entrance at the community garden has been thoroughly weeded, I can find no more excuses to put off polishing and publishing my response to Gayla's second prompt.
However, it's so far past the deadline I'll totally understand if no one reads it or I don't get full marks on this assignment ;-). On the other hand, I believe I've finally written the truest and most complete description of the garden I would begin creating today from the bare ground up and down.
Most important, my dream garden will nurture nature, sustainably and organically.
My dream garden will have:
- diverse and abundant pollinators and beneficial insects;
- nutrient-rich, organic soil with a high earthworm count;
- a colourful, tasty, nourishing, three-to-four season kitchen garden with vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, berries and fruit trees (my dream includes being in Zone 8 or higher);
- sweet peas for colour, fragrance and memories;
- a Japanese-style shade garden for meditation and reading;
- a naturescape perimeter;
- a stream or river within walking distance (but not so close that I would worry about flooding),
- a view of the mountains to enjoy when my body needs a rest from the heavy work;
- a compost bin, rain barrel, greenhouse, coldframe, nursery bed & small tool shed. Yes, it may be boring to dream about the garden's "infrastructure", but I struggle to fit these functional areas, if not actual items, on my small balcony, in my office and in my storage locker. I yearn for more elegant and spacious solutions.
This dream garden list is shorter than I thought it would be, especially with no limits on my imagination or desires. But it is long enough for me. At this time in my life, I don't fantasize as much about my dream garden as I do about dream gardening: being in flow and at peace in a green space, feeling connected to the soil, the flora and fauna, and the seasons...and having more time and space for it all.
Reader Comments (2)
What a great exercise. The shady meditation and reading area is a lovely idea. I think I'll start daydreaming and taking down notes for my fantasy garden.
Hello, Denise. I really do encourage you to do this exercise. I learned what I truly value about gardening. For me, it really is about the process -- the planning, the making, the tending -- and the connection with nature.