• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Achieving Happiness In Your Garden: The Tenth Secet

November 14, 2010 By Carol Michel 15 Comments

Once upon a time, I was sitting on a bench on my porch, thinking about the various flowers and vegetables and trees and shrubs that I had planted over the years when suddenly a bunny came up to me and began to speak.

“Carol, what do you think of your garden?”

I was speechless. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Rabbits don’t talk!

But the rabbit, unfazed, followed up with an answer to his own question.

“I think you think it is nice enough, but there are parts you would like to change.”

Still speechless, I barely managed to nod my head in agreement.

The rabbit continued.

“You should take heed of the tenth secret for achieving happiness in your garden.”

Then he hopped off and disappeared beneath a large shrub.

The tenth secret? I was just getting over the shock of a talking rabbit when I realized I didn’t know the tenth secret. What was it? Where would I find it? When would I find it?

Just then I looked down and realized that the rabbit had left a tiny envelope labeled “The Tenth Secret”. I opened it like it was announcement of an Academy Award and read the message inside.

“The tenth secret for achieving happiness in your garden is to change your garden if you don’t like it.”

Change your garden?

Of course. As with the other secrets I had found, it was deceptively simple but made perfect sense.

If you don’t like your garden as it is, change it.

Are the flower borders too narrow? Change them by making them wider.

Is there a sickly tree marring the view from your favorite window? Change the view by cutting down the tree.

Are there flowers in the garden that you just don’t like? Maybe they were planted by a previous gardener, or maybe you keep seeing flowers at the garden center that you like better than those you have. Change out the flowers by digging up what you don’t like to pass on to another gardener who will love them.

Do you have nice plants but just don’t like where they are planted? If they aren’t too big, change their locations by (gasp) digging them up and moving them someplace else.

Life and the seasons are too short to keep tending your garden the same way year after year if you aren’t happy with how it is. Change your garden if you don’t like it.

My mind raced. I felt almost dizzy with excitement. That rabbit was right. I did want to change my garden, and I wanted to get started right away.

But first I put that tenth secret back in the envelope, knowing it would be difficult at times to follow, but that it, like all of the secrets, would help me achieve happiness in my garden. Then I carefully placed it in the old garden shed beside the book of the first five secrets I had discovered so long ago.

Change your garden if you don’t like it.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Secrets

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    November 14, 2010 at 5:11 am

    Wonderful series. I thoroughly enjoyed it. All the secrets were so entertaining with some wisdom to share.

    Reply
  2. Gail says

    November 14, 2010 at 12:53 pm

    Carol, This may be my favorite of all the 'Secrets'! It has marvelous applications to all of life~We sure do let ourselves get stuck in ruts! gail

    Reply
  3. Layanee says

    November 14, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    Well, I love the change of seasons in the garden and you are so right, change is inevitable when you are trying to achieve your own personal sanctuary.

    Reply
  4. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    November 14, 2010 at 2:28 pm

    For some of us, change is the status quo of our gardens, we're always moving something, changing the size or shape of beds, redoing paths. Will our gardens ever be done? Do we want them to be?

    Reply
  5. Cindy, MCOK says

    November 14, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    This is definitely the secret that best applies to me! I like changing things up in the garden … I'm constantly tweaking to bring things more in line with my inner vision of what I want my garden to be.

    Reply
  6. My Hesperides Garden says

    November 14, 2010 at 6:17 pm

    The thing about a garden is it changes whether or not you want it to! The seasons, the time of day, – plants grow! Some plants take over so yes, yes, yes, change things if they don't please you. But do think first why they don't please you. Is it because when you first saw the plant it wasn't just one but a whole group and you only had the space, or cash for one; Is that the combination isn't working and you could try changing just one of the plants. The secret is to know that it's your garden, do what YOU like. Christina

    Reply
  7. Commonweeder says

    November 14, 2010 at 10:11 pm

    I have so much enjoyed all the secrets you have discovered. They are so logical, and yet we don't always think of them, and even if we do, we often forget and need reminders. Thank you.

    Reply
  8. bacon seed says

    November 15, 2010 at 1:54 am

    Thanks for sharing the secrets with us Carol! I have enjoyed reading them and reflecting on them 🙂

    Reply
  9. Corner Gardener Sue says

    November 15, 2010 at 1:57 am

    That rabbit just wants you to plant more things it likes to eat!

    I like to change things up, too. I can't say this on my blog, because my husband reads it, but I am working to pull a couple inches of grass each year from my side beds. They are too narrow.

    Reply
  10. Elizabeth Barrow says

    November 15, 2010 at 2:35 am

    This is so true. Every year, I think it gets easier and easier to change what I don't like in my garden. Of course, the actual work gets harder and harder, but that's another story! Thanks for a delightful series!

    Reply
  11. Bom says

    November 15, 2010 at 4:32 am

    So true. I move my plants around almost on a weekly basis, especially the new ones.

    Thank you for sharing your ten secrets series.

    Reply
  12. healingmagichands says

    November 15, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    This series has been a joy to read and full of some very powerful wisdom.

    I have looked at a couple of places I want to change, but the job seems almost impossibly big. Maybe I should "ask for help" (!)

    Reply
  13. Artificial Grass says

    November 16, 2010 at 1:13 pm

    Haha i guess that was one cute rabbit that told you about the tenth secret. Sometimes gardeners have friends like those that teach them the ways to make their gardens bloom beautifully for everyone's eyes, especially theirs. I recently changed my garden's grass and i LOVED it!

    Reply
  14. Ron Mylar says

    November 23, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    If we are having indoor garden then that could be the process of achieving happiness. Different plants require different kinds and amounts of fertilization. You should be aware of each planning your indoor garden

    Reply
  15. Indoor Gardening Jeremy says

    November 23, 2010 at 10:33 pm

    Thank you Carol for providing such great wisdom in such a fun format! I wasn't a big fan of the movie Benjamin Button, but there was a line he said in that movie that went like this: "I hope that if you are not satisfied with your life that you have the courage to change it." And that is exactly what the mysterious vanishing bunny sage said as well. Ron, even with indoor gardening though, the tenth secret never said the changes would be easy, just that they were necessary for fulfillment and happiness.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,047)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT