by Eve Picker
There is not much good to say about the Covid pandemic. But three years later I am richer in two ways. I have plenty of antibodies and I have become obsessed with plants.
Gardening is too mild a word for my passion. Books and the internet fill hours of time, as I troll my favorite landscape gurus online and plot complicated planting plans. Hundreds of plants have become familiar to me as I learn where they love to grow and how to help them thrive. Early on I tried to tame the animals and bugs that love my plants as much as I do, but nature is ferocious and impossible to rein in. Now I adjust my plans to make sure I choose plants that attract bees and butterflies not voles and rabbits.
A good challenge is something I enjoy and my garden gives me plenty. I’ve watched voles suck three rounds of plants into the ground early on, in my novice year. Planting 60 narcissus bulbs did the trick. Now they’ve moved on. My “lawn” is now predominantly clover. It distracts the rabbits from my precious plants. Hydrangeas have been caged for the winter and covered in leaves to keep the deer away … and more.
Every day I impatiently wait for the work day to end so that the final two, three or four hours of sunlight can be spent digging, pruning and pulling weeds. My plants have shaped an outdoor room for me. This is where I take coffee every morning, watching each plant progress through its cycle of growth and decline.
And I love every moment of it.
What passion did you grow during the pandemic?