Flowerbed Lessons

on expectations and boundaries

I was recently asked to reflect on a few lessons I’ve learned from gardening. This felt like an opportunity to return to this quiet little Substack. After much rest and composting over the fall and winter, maybe I’ll return to a regular practice of writing.

Maybe.

I won’t be too ambitious about that.

So, what have I learned from my flowerbeds? So much! But I’ll just share about two here:

1. Plant and Let Go

2. Boundaries are Good for All

Plant and Let Go

When I created the first new flowerbed at our new house (remember? I like to create new flowerbeds everywhere!) I planted lots of sunflower seeds. Miraculously (truly, it’s all a miracle) several sunflowers grew right where they were planted. I could hardly believe it! They were tall and sturdy and gorgeous. I couldn’t help but take photos of them. Even before the summer had ended, I already had dreams of even more sunflowers the following year.

Of course, the following year the squirrels had other plans. Even with multiple seedings, I only had a couple sunflowers grow to full maturation. However, the zinnias were there to pick up the slack! Tall, short, yellow, deep pink — they were gorgeous. One evening I discovered that bees liked to use the zinnias for resting spots, which was just precious to witness.

The next summer I just planted seeds. I knew that if I had expectations of what would happen, I’d likely be disappointed. I didn’t want to be disappointed in whatever beauty chose to grow in my flowerbeds. I had some sunflowers and zinnias, but I also had cosmos and so many marigolds that lasted long into the autumn.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’ve learned to plant the seeds (I just plant them right in the soil!) and let go. Whatever happens will be beautiful. I try not to compare to the years before because each new season is something new and completely different to what came before. The flowerbeds help me practice acceptance for what is.

Three different years of the same flowerbed

Boundaries are Good for All

After creating that first flowerbed in 2023, flowers started growing (which honestly, was a surprise — I didn’t expect much to happen!). Steve and Millie, our curious Labs, follow their noses everywhere, including through the flowerbeds. They were not concerned about the baby plants trying to survive in this challenging world!

I knew I needed to create some kind of barrier, but I wasn’t sure if they would respect any boundary I set. Using some simple garden fencing, I soon learned that creating a boundary worked! Even though they can both easily get over it, — Steve can just step over it if he wants — they didn’t. What’s even better, and something I didn’t plan for, the fencing blends in with the environment, so it doesn’t stick out. Especially later in the summer when everything is flourishing, the fence is hardly visible.

But, if the wind knocks one of the fencing pieces down, Steve and Millie have no hesitation to walk right through and check out all the smells they’ve missed out on. Once I make the repair, they go back to respecting the boundary.

The fencing is hardly visible, but very effective!

Boundaries don’t have to be big or super obvious, they just need to be clear. I created a flowerbed toward the end of last summer and didn’t put up any fencing. All fall and winter they traipsed through it with no respect for the plants. A few days ago I put up a small fencing border and wouldn’t you know… they stay out of it. I guess I should have done that last fall. It’s much more effective than constantly saying “get out of there!”