Today I greeted sunshine and a garden in bloom. I stayed in bed long enough for the morning overcast to disappear so that I could start the day San Diego style. I still have to pinch myself living here. I never seem to tire of the steady sunshine. Of course, with it, I think I must always be in action. It is only when it is overcast or raining that I give myself permission to do otherwise.
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I was always busy when I lived in the Northwest, but the weather did restrict my activity. Whidbey Island, where we lived and still have a home, offers an abundance of rich green beauty, inspiring a different approach to gardening. I still imagine tackling the landscape of our two acre spread, envisioning a stately English garden, but I don’t miss the dark winters and the damp that is a constant. In the Northwest, one has to consider gardening in the rain often, if you want anything done, and many of my friends there do garden in the rain. But I had my limits as to how often I wanted to engage in such practice. It is hard to consider pulling weeds or planting a plant in a downpour.
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Still I am a gardener at heart and appreciate the differences that exist in other regions of the country. Each region has its own take on beauty. In the Northwest, the rain keeps the air fresh and the landscape clear. The native rhododendrons are everywhere. They bloom only a brief bit and then provide lush green foliage for the remainder of the year. I could grow other plants there more easily than I can here. Hostas or bleeding hearts, for example. The stately firs that I love to hear swaying in the wind do not grace our California home, but neither does the constant shade they provide.
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