"Editing"

I find it amusing that gardeners use the term "editing" to describe what happens when your garden's been growing awhile and needs nipping and tucking. Yes, it's like editing a newspaper story or a film clip, except that any experienced journalist - and I suppose, gardener - knows that the process is far more complicated than taking things away or rearranging things. If only it were that simple. The good news is that "editing" a garden has a wonderful byproduct - plants to share with friends. For the first few years of a garden, I think we add and add and obsess over what we have and what we need and how many empty spaces we have. Then, it's almost like growing up - reaching middle age. We slowly relax. And we find joy in sharing what has given us so much pleasure. As you can probably tell, I've been "editing" up a storm in my garden. This photo is of an oakleaf hydrangea seedling, one of several that have popped up around my six-foot-tall 'Snow Queen.' I brought it in for a coworker who bought her first house last year and is building a brand new garden. I've enjoyed her stories and her enthusiasm, and I admire the care and restraint she and her husband are showing. They're doing research before buying. They're considering exposure, light, soil, all the things we're supposed to think about before making a purchase. And so far - we shall see, of course - they're resisting the urge to add, add, add wherever they see a space. This last point is important. It's impossible to do anything but laugh, because had I not added and filled so many spaces in my garden, I'd never have what I have to share right now. In that nice way that gardens have of bringing peace of mind to all who enter within, it all works out in the end.