The joy of having a garden is the daily walk of anticipation to check and see what's new and what's happening in your lovely oasis. Finding new growth, little flower buds ready to burst open and the beginnings of little fruits and vegetables makes me look forward to future walks. It is all so satisfying.
I feel like all of my plants appreciate my presence, attention and care.
I always feel positive vibrations.
Especially when I am watering.
When watering one can feel the air surrounding you and the plants, cleaning and humidifying. I think of the roots taking a big satisfying drink of water. I always like to flip the sprinkler nozzle around to just watch the droplets dance everywhere, like it's raining - giving them and me, a cool shower and a bit of relief from the heat. Also, the beautiful reflection rainbow that appears as the light is reflected inside the droplet and finally reflected out again into the air. Feels like magic...
I know that they advise you to water early in the morning so that the foliage will have a chance to dry before nightfall. If the leaves are wet when it cools down at night the plant may have problems with fungus and disease.
I have to say that I have watered - on more than one occasion, during the afternoon heat - during the hottest time of the day because I felt sorry for the plants - sometimes they look stressed under really hot conditions. I do however get down low and try to water under the plants, not on their leaves. But, I also do like to sprinkle the whole plant - thinking that I am cooling it off. No fungal problems yet - fingers crossed.
While I'm sprinkling, I wash out and refill several containers that I have set out for the birds, squirrels and anyone passing through that needs a drink. I have seen squirrels lying on their tummy's and drinking quite a bit. Good to know that I'm providing water for them in hot weather. I also enjoy birds taking baths in the containers I have set about. They are not deep, and I put a brick in the middle so that no one will have a problem in the water. We have a big, beautiful pond but the containers of water on our decks seem to be more of an attraction. Probably because they are near the seed feeders and the water is cleaner, cooler than the pond water. Anyway, I love that they come up close so that we can see them drinking, bathing and just enjoying the water.
I also think of all of the bees, butterflies and bugs drinking the water droplets that are on the leaves.
There might also be Fairie folk in my gardens - I think there are. They too would enjoy a cool shower and just might be filling their little buckets with fresh, cool water.
I don't know if the watering does more for my garden plants or more for me - it always leaves me with a satisfying, full feeling.
When I water in the morning - I tell everyone "Good Morning, it's going to be a beautiful day." And, if I water in the evening, I tell my plants "Good Night, sleep well, see you in the morning."
We have had quite a bit of rain this spring/summer - and even though it appears that it has rained enough - sometimes it just hasn't. It might rain hard and just kind of run off - or the 10-minute rain might only just touch the surface....so, I always scratch back the soil to see how much of the water actually seeped down into the soil. We have rather sandy soil at both the log cabin and the intown Victorian as they are both very near the Bay on Lake Michigan. The water tends to run off and so the plants are really not getting a good watering. I mound mulch in my gardens every year to make sure that I am building a better soil. Our chickens do roam free until they roost at sunset. So, I am able to shovel out their dirt from under their roost and add that to the soil out at the log cabin and also take it into town for my beds there. I have compost bins for vegetable scrapes at both places that I do layer up with leaves and straw. The soil in my gardens does appear to be darker and more of a combination of materials. I can see that my constantly mulching is really building up a good, healthy base for my new and existing plants, bushes and trees. It appears that when I scratch at the dirt there is some dampness in the soil...which there was not before.
Apparently, it is all working because my gardens are always beautiful. Lots of beautiful cut flowers, abundant fruit from our apple and peach trees, lots of strawberries and blueberries and beautiful multiple blossoms on all of my perennials.
I keep a big rain barrel and water my plants with the collected water. I keep several goldfish in the barrel in the warmer months and then bring them into a tank in the greenhouse in cooler/colder weather. We have always...in the last 35 years lived in rural areas. We have lived on several hobby farms., so we've always enjoyed well water. But now that we do spend time in our Victorian in town, I have to deal with city water. And there is a difference. So, I decided to fill gallon jugs with city water and then let them sit before watering anything with that water. I have about 20 - 1-gallon containers and that's what I use on my indoor plants and my potted plants on the deck/patio. But the grass and the gardens in town still do get quite a bit of city water. Maybe they have adapted, they always seem to flourish.
Watering my gardens reminds me of the way I feel when I hang bed sheets on my clothesline. Some people may think of it as a chore. I think of it as a reason to slow down, enjoy my beautiful surroundings, feel blessed and be grateful. While moving in this rhymical type movement - my mind and body float into a deep, relaxing state of mind.
It is a very good thing for my soul, my spirit and my lovely plants.
