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Gardening Neighbors

July 10th, 2012

Mr Chiots and I love to go on evening walks with the chiots. We walk the streets of our little lake community admiring gardens as we go. Since we’ve lived here for 10 years, we’ve been watching a few gardens grow and change, while most pretty much stay the same. We always used to talk about this beautiful little yellow how with lovely gardens.


We watched as they added a fence, new cherry trees, a retaining wall, a seating area, and edible beds. The residents of the house were a mystery to us, until last fall. A sign about the oil/gas in the area was prominently displayed in their front yard, so we stopped and chatted with Jimmy. A few days later, Heather stopped by our home and a friendship was born.


The first thing that came out of her mouth was, “I LOVE your gardens. I’ve been watching what you’ve been doing to them every day when I drive by on my way to work. This house and gardens was so ugly until you guys moved in!”. A gardening friendship was born!

Now Heather comes over at least once a week and we chat over coffee about gardens, plants, herbs, local foods, cooking and many other things. We also walk through each other’s gardens during different seasons talking about plants we love. Hardly a week goes by when plant isn’t exchanged between us.

When I decided to start a new series over on the Your Day Blog at Ethel, I know that Heather’s garden would be the first one featured. I really wanted to feature real gardens, like yours and mine. Sometimes we can spend so much time looking at perfect gardens in the glossy pages of books and magazines that we forget that real gardens are like real gardeners; they have flaws.

Head on over to the Your Day blog to see and hear about Heather’s garden. She lives just a few houses down. If you would like your garden featured in the Real Garden Series contact me using this form.

Do you have any neighbors that you can share your love of gardening with?

11 Comments to “Gardening Neighbors”
  1. jennifer fisk on July 10, 2012 at 6:36 am

    I gave one of my neighbors a Forsythia bush that was in a spot so hot the flowers lasted less than a week. The space has egg plant this year.
    I also gave 2 neighbors roots from my Rhubarb the origin of which I don’t know as it came from my Grandmother, to my parents to me. When I have extra seedlings, always let the neighbors have them.

    Reply to jennifer fisk's comment

  2. Nebraska Dave on July 10, 2012 at 8:12 am

    Susy, I have not yet made the transition from row crop farmer to the urban gardener. I am trying but the order of rows just won’t go away. Clumps and patches of flowers here and there seems to me something that needs straightening up. That’s why I do like to read your blog about gardening. Slowly my mentality is changing and understanding the natural woods look of gardening. Thanks for helping with the transition.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

    • Susy on July 10, 2012 at 9:21 am

      I’d highly recommend reading the book Gaia’s Garden to give you great insight into the less orderly traditional gardening methods!

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Nebraska Dave on July 10, 2012 at 9:29 am

        Susy, yeah, I’ve seen that book on Amazon. I’ll have to see if our library has it. Thanks for the recommendation.

        to Nebraska Dave's comment

  3. daisy on July 10, 2012 at 8:32 am

    A friend of mine and I actually started a “Secret Gardeners” club. Participating members secretly leave a plant taken from their garden to give to a neighbor. It’s a lot of fun!

    Reply to daisy's comment

    • Susy on July 10, 2012 at 8:34 am

      Sounds like lots of fun!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  4. Sincerely, Emily on July 10, 2012 at 8:43 am

    Heather has a beautiful garden. So fun to see. Thanks!

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

  5. Deb on July 10, 2012 at 9:31 am

    I live rural and none of my neighbor’s really do much gardening. A few things here and there, but not really a large garden(s). My gardening includes “weeds” and the farmer around me don’t like that.\ at all, but bees and butterflies like them. The story anout secret gardening is really nice.

    Reply to Deb's comment

    • Rhonda on July 10, 2012 at 10:42 am

      My garden includes weeds too and my husband HATES it. I have a plantain right now that looks like it should be in a nursery. It’s beautiful. It’s going to be turned into salve as soon as my shipment of beeswax comes in. :-)

      Reply to Rhonda's comment

  6. Maybelline on July 10, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    Co-workers are the gardeners I share most information, etc. with regarding gardening. I do wish I could inspire neighbors to take more interest in their gardens/yards.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  7. Andrea Duke on July 12, 2012 at 10:47 am

    I have a few neighbors with a small gardens that get their plants from me, but none of them are as ‘into it’ as much as I probably am :)

    I love the secret garden club idea. That would be lots of fun!

    Reply to Andrea Duke's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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