• 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
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Embrace Patience For A Happier Life

May 5, 2009 By Carol Michel 22 Comments

What is the most important ingredient for creating a garden?

Is it the sunlight necessary for plants to grow or the plants themselves?

Is it the water needed for all life or is it the soil?

Or is it patience?

Patience? Yes, that’s it! I believe the most important ingredient for creating a garden is patience.

It takes patience to wait through the winter for spring to arrive and bring the garden back to life,

… to sow a seed and wait for it to germinate,

… to watch a bloom become a ripe, sun-warmed tomato,

… to plant a tree you can carry in one hand and watch it grow enough to provide a shady spot to rest under,

… to know where in the garden the shade is dappled and where the sun is brightest,

… to pile up the debris of the garden and then harvest it as rich compost.

It takes patience to garden successfully, to create a lasting garden. There is often as much time spent patiently waiting in a garden, as there is time spent actually gardening to create the garden.

Once I figured this out, that a good dose of patience is needed in the garden, gardening became a lot easier. I embrace patience and accept that gardening is a process that isn’t easily hurried along.

I recommend that if anyone is going to do this gardening thing for the long haul, for life, they should embrace patience, too, for a happier life in the garden.

(Pictured above is “Tower Pink” columbine (Aquilegia sp.) as it blooms once again in my garden. I patiently started these double columbines from seed back in 2001, and they’ve been blooming in my garden every spring since then. A reward for embracing patience!)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: embrace

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    May 5, 2009 at 3:33 am

    Gardening has taught me patience, which was a much needed lesson. I waited 4 years for my Trillium Grandiflorum to bloom, and I’m glad I was patient with my Actaea/Cimicifugas. They were worth the wait.
    I’ve never grown double Columbines. Yours are very pretty.

    Reply
  2. Lisa at Greenbow says

    May 5, 2009 at 3:47 am

    This columbine is worth waiting for, it is gorgeous. Patience is a wonderful virtue. I have it sparingly. Gardening has taught me all the patience I have.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    May 5, 2009 at 5:42 am

    Carol~~ I hate to admit it but…well, okay, I guess, reluctantly I’ll admit that you’re right. Dead on in fact. I’ve never enjoyed being a student of patience but the older I get the more quickly time passes and I realize that waiting is not such a big deal. And when the plant in question does its thing, as your outstanding columbine so eloquently shows, it is well worth it.

    Reply
  4. Patsybell says

    May 5, 2009 at 8:48 am

    Patience. I’m not good at it. Gardening is the exception. I’m much happier and more patient in the garden.Your columbine is an excellent illustration. Well said, Carol.

    Reply
  5. Marie says

    May 5, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Ah, patience. It’s been raining here for the last 3 days. The garden chores are piling up. If it doesn’t stop raining today, I may have to dust the furniture!

    Reply
  6. Dave says

    May 5, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Patience is a necessity I wish I had more! When I propagate plants I get the urge to check for roots, when I do that sometimes I slow down or completely stop the process all together. Patience is very good to have!

    Reply
  7. LINDA from Each Little World says

    May 5, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    Carol — I think you’ve said it all! Gardening certainly teaches patience as few other things can, because there is so little we can do to speed up the process. Our most patient plant experience here are our trees — suddenly big enough to need pruning!

    Reply
  8. Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says

    May 5, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    You’re right on. Unfortunately I think patience is something that takes some of us a lot longer to learn. Hence the name of the blog!

    That columbine is lovely!

    Reply
  9. Gail says

    May 5, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    My patience is being tried waiting for the sun to shine again! Thanks for the reminder that we have to embrace this wonderful quality if we are to garden happily. gail

    Reply
  10. Unknown says

    May 5, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    I agree!

    I was getting pretty discouraged looking at all the beautiful pictures of gardens in blogland – thinking mine will never look like that. I’m new at this hobby.

    But then I remembered that gardening is a life long process – so hopefully I have a long time to get my yard picture perfect!

    Reply
  11. Victoria Williams says

    May 5, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    For me, it’s patience and acceptance, as nothing is ever quite what I had planned in our garden. Seems gardens have a mind of their own. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Monica the Garden Faerie says

    May 6, 2009 at 12:15 am

    Hi Carol, As I said in another comment, “Are we patient yet? Now? Now?!” Speaking of patience, I realized I was blogging largely to myself for over a year until you left a comment in my blog… ad slowly others came, too, until I became all connected with so many wonderful blogging friends. So I wanted to thank you so much for getting the ball rolling!

    Reply
  13. Unknown says

    May 6, 2009 at 12:47 am

    I mentioned this post on my blog –

    Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  14. garden girl says

    May 6, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    Amen Carol! I learned this from a wonderful gardener and master of patience – my mom. I’ve never needed this quality as much in the garden as I have since moving here and gardening in the shade (and roots) of three huge maple trees.

    Reply
  15. healingmagichands says

    May 6, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    Carol, you are so right. You cannot hurry the ripening of the tomato, using compost before it is ready will only provide you with a whole bunch of weeds to pull out, etc. Gardening gives the appreciation of the order of things, the stately progression from seed to fruit.

    Reply
  16. Susan says

    May 6, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    I love your advice thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  17. marmee says

    May 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm

    those columbines’s are absolutely amazing…i have never seen such a thing. i love planting from seed…i find it so rewarding…knowing you placed a tiny thing waiting for it to germinate…watching over it like a wee little one…following thru til maturity…wonderful…nice post.

    Reply
  18. Cindy, MCOK says

    May 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm

    Some days I embrace patience, some days I give it the cold shoulder! I’m working on having more of the former and fewer of the latter.

    Reply
  19. Kat Wolfdancer says

    May 6, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    AH, Thanks again, Carol! for reminding me why I garden. If patience is a virtue, God loves His Gardeners! In my garden is the only place I know where I am content with dirty hands, and dirty knees, and gentles breezes blowing through the jasmines of my mind. (Thanks to Seals & Crofts for THAT snatch of song!) Happy Gardening! as I await, patiently, for Mother's Day, to be able to plant my tomato starts, lovingly grown from seed, and all the wee seedling plantlets that I have lovingly grown for seed as well. Patience is Nurturing. Let it wash all over me!

    >^,,^<

    Reply
  20. Kat Wolfdancer says

    May 6, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    OH ! and PS! After four years, my fragrant viburnum (Viburnum carlcephalum) that I pruned hard in Spring that first year (FOOLISH me!) and again the next has now, nice and shapely anyway, embraced its' blossomness! It is LOADED with fat budding snowballs of what will undoubtably be delightfully yummy as the summer breezes float into my bedroom and living room. Last year, it was an untimely year for blossoms.. THIS year, it seems to be just loaded. I am so glad I was patient with it!

    >^,,^<

    Reply
  21. Rock rose says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:27 am

    That is the prettiest columbine I have ever seen. Must look out for the seeds. The garden is about to test our patience-with summer in full swing we gardeners in Texas will be patiently waiting for fall!

    Reply
  22. Ellie Mae's Cottage says

    May 7, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    So very true! What a great post! –Jackie

    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 (3,053)
  • 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