Someone told me they read somewhere that our midwest spring is the coldest, wettest, and most disappointing and lousy spring in 40 years.  I did not need any news article to bring me up to speed on this topic-I have been living through it.  Our spring has been anything but spring.  Lingering cold, and non stop rain-terrible.  The winter lingered on through March, and way into April.  The magnolia flowers were over in two days-the crosus and hyacinths were nothing much to look at.  Yesterday it was 80 degrees and windy-I could see my tulip petals browning on the edges.  The next 6 days weather report calls for 5 days of rain.  But have I lived through anything remotely resembling the devastation, distruction and displacement dealt to the people of Japan via an earthquake and tsunami of catastrophic proportions?  Never.   I think about those Japanese familes regularly-their lives turned up side down.  Family members who perished.  I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like to live through it,  survive, and then start over.  I cannot imagine the collective grief-so many people died.   My spring troubles are less than nothing by comparison. 

My less than ideal spring, could it begin to compare with all of those people, homeowners, farmers and gardeners whose homes, fields and landscapes have been flooded and ruined by the Mississippi River overflowing this spring – not a chance.  I have never experienced this level of natural disaster, ever.   Have I ever seen a tornado bearing down on my neighborhood, as Tuscaloosa Alabama just endured-no; never.  Just today, Joplin Missouri-devastated by deadly weather.  My weather has been exasperating, disappointing, irritating and dissatisfying- nothing more.  Given that most everything I have lost to bad weather can be replaced or fixed, I ought to be swimming in patience, as my patience has never really been tried.  The disasters I see others endure, teaches me much about what the word patience really means.

Having patience does not mean the willingness to wait for a few moments, a few days, or a new season.  It means the willingness to start over, recreate and remake –  from the beginning.  If the day ever comes that I have to do that, I will feel entitled to whatever feelings might surface.  But until then, I will try to remember that I have vast unused stores of patience at my disposal.

This past week was loaded on the front and the back end with work-spring is like that.  I have a number of landscape projects under construction, and a big backlog of design work.  I had three appointments with clients today-Sunday.  The Better Homes and Gardens crew got a big chunk of my time this past week-as well they should. I am updating a front yard landscape of several old clients, landscaping from the ground up a new home for an old client,  advising another client about terrace furniture and pots, re-mossing 8 wire planters and pedestals for the new season, ordering in fine topiary plants and taking delivery of specimen rosemary plants, taking delivery of annual plants at the shop-planning the container planting season.  I have three clients with early June weddings at home, and another three clients with important events taking place in the garden in early June. 

Relentless rain and cold over the past 3 days-I am getting no help from the weather. For 6 weeks, the weather has been wet. Water was gushing into the shop through the wall today-no kidding.  Weeks ago, I hired Rebecca Gill from Web Savvy Marketing to completely redo the Detroit Garden Works website.  I disliked that I could not update it, nor could I copy pictures from it.  I disliked how the website was search unfriendly.  I took a leap-as I understand next to nothing about internet communication.  I gave Rebecca the go ahead.  Frankly, I would spend an hour with Rebecca, undestand next to nothing of what she was saying, and feel tired.  But one thing I did get.  The new website would be on a wordpress platform-the same as my blog.  The idea that I could write and post pictures and writing to my own website sounded like a swell idea.

This I know-when you truly believe that someone knows what they are talking about, the best thing you can do is get out of their way, and let them do what they know how to do. This I did, and consequently Detroit Garden Works has a new website.  We also have a facebook page.  Oh boy.  Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Rebecca-she has plans to school Jenny about Facebook and Twitter.  As Jenny is barely 30, I have a suspicion she already knows where this is going.  I have every intention of sitting in on the session, to see what I might learn.  

 I like writing this blog for two reasons.  It is very hard to write about a topic until you have your thoughts all sorted out.  The composing and editing process that accompanies the writing  has helped me to understand my process, and spot what needs doing better.  But by far and away the best part is the sharing that goes on.  People from all over write in-I sometimes get comments from posts I wrote a year ago or better.  What people have to say is a way of meeting and talking about a topic we both hold dear.   I have contact now with all kinds of gardeners who share and sympathasize with my problems and failures, and enjoy my efforts.  I have never belonged to a garden club.  Years ago I would have told you that I had no interest in talking about gardening-I just liked to do it. This is not exactly true.  I talk to my clients all the time about gardening.  If I am proposing that they make a change or addition of a landscape, I have to articulate what that change will accomplish, and  why I think that addition is important.  

Rebecca sent me an outline for the meeting.  The first topic of discussion?  How facebook is a vehicle for Detroit Garden Works to make friends. I am sure you can tell just from how I have phrased this that I am in uncharted territory.  A new way to make gardening friends?  OK, we will give that a whirl.

I never had kids-much to my regret.  For many years I had the idea that when I turned 50, I would adopt.  I thought I would be ready.  In fact, I would never had been able to handle the emotional storm.  I was too old for what hard work parenting must be.  Every day I see Mom’s (and a good number of Dad’s) explaining, teaching, cautioning, mentioning, and exploring my shop with their kids. Sunday we had lots of families-there was an equal amount of of instruction going on. I greatly admire this. The transmission of knowledge and attitude from one generation to the next seems so important.  The 5 year old who was telling me in earnest about what would be in his garden was a good moment for me.     

I have kids in the shop every day.  Some are curious and quiet and ask startling questions.  Some screech, wave their arms, throw gravel, and themselves into mud puddles, or cisterns filled with water. I am happy to say that even the most unfocused child eventually finds something to focus on at my place. The hoopla that preceeds the focus-more than exciting.  I have no problem with the loud noises and tears-I rather like that people feel comfortable bringing their children to my place.  Any child’s exposure to the living world seems like a very good idea.

Any child’s exposure to the world is a result of concerned parenting.  Any experience truly felt and reinforced-stays.  My Mom-she taught me how to grow things from seed.  She taught me to love roses, gingko trees, and photography.  She sheltered me-she saw that I ate properly, and had help with my homework.  She was devoted to mothering me.  A scientist by trade, I think the reality of having children shocked her.  I was not the most well-mannered usual child.   But she took me under her wing.  She taught me.  She prepared and encouraged me.  She was but one half step behind me, all the years that she lived.  I so miss her-that Mom of mine.

Mothering does not only apply to women.  Every day, that instinct to give life to, teach, and successfully endow an idea with life applies to many people.  People, both men and women, with ideas-they mother that idea until it is ready to stand on its own, for the betterment of all.  There is all kinds of mothering that goes on.  Gardeners mother their gardens;  their hope to grow this or their dream to grow that is the basis for keen interest and lively conversation.   

Every Mother’s Day-I miss my Mom.  She has been gone 9 years. But I had a good Mother’s Day, nonetheless.  A new to the shop Mom and a daughter bought my favorite pair of planted spring pots.  Another dear friend Mom brought her daughter. There were Dads with kids asking for advice about tools. And the kids themselves-well mannered, inquisitive, and very lively. Those of you who still have your Mom-I am sure you treasure her.  Those of you that mom a place, a garden, a property or a flock of hellebore seedlings-to all of you  Moms-my best regards.