Late Bloomer. Jan Coppola Bills

Chapter Twelve | Veggies, Fruit and Herbs

       Chapter Thirteen | Perfectly Imperfect

       Organic Garden Remedies from My Online Friends

       Acknowledgments

       About the Author

       Index

       INTRODUCTION

      I am a second-half-of-life gardener. I truly believe that this is the time in life when we can experience our greatest gardening enjoyment. Maybe you are a second-halfer too, and that’s why you’ve picked up this book. Or maybe you just want to tune into some words of hard-won wisdom from a gardener who has “been there,” made mistakes, learned from them, and figured out what’s really important and what’s not – and evolved a way of gardening for the pure joy of it.

      If you’re curious to know what’s so different about gardening in this “half,” I’d say it’s all about a shift in perspective. Instead of a drive to completion and outcome and control, it’s now about a more deeply soul-pleasing way of gardening, defined by words like these:

       Simplicity

       Beauty and Harmony

       Comfort and Ease

       Celebrating Life with Food from Your Soil

       Relaxation and Letting Go (and not minding who’s nibbling on your lettuce)

      One of the many loads of mulch I’ve worked with!

      I began gardening in 1991, when my husband and I purchased our first home. Yes, I am a late bloomer. I had no prior gardening history or experience, but that did not stop me. I adorned every inch of our love shack, season after season, with all the wrong plants in all the wrong places. I was that person who insisted that sun-loving plants would grow wonderfully in dense shade, and vice-versa. I spent tons of money at my favorite garden center each weekend and hauled in truckloads of compost and mulch. Clueless, I forged on until years later when I miraculously developed a deep spiritual connection with Mother Earth. I look back lovingly at those memorable (and hysterical) days gone by. I have learned a great deal since then about gardening and life, but will never forget how I got my roots!

      Today, I garden for many different reasons and outcomes that extend beyond my personal needs and desires. This shift in thinking began after the sudden death of my brother, Michael, in 2006. To say that we had been close doesn’t adequately describe our loving and mutually supportive relationship. His death shook me to the core and had a profound impact on my future. It was a call to deep evaluation of my path and goals. I asked myself, What am I doing with my life? How much time do any of us have? And, most importantly: What will make me feel happy and fulfilled?

      Michael and me in the yard

      The absence of my dear brother influenced me to switch careers and start Two Women and a Hoe®, do something I truly loved, and start a small gardening business in southeast Michigan. I replaced my corporate high heels for Wellies and never looked back. Each day I am blessed to mix business with pleasure. But more importantly, my true passion in this second half of life is to give more than I take – in and out of the garden. I am discovering that the fine art of gardening is ultimately giving back to the earth, wildlife, nature… and us. Gardening is the fine art of soul to soil. If there is a Late Bloomer’s credo, it would go something like this:

       I will plant only what I can comfortably tend.

       I will not give myself tasks beyond my ability to easily achieve.

       I will ask for help, if necessary.

       I will not concern myself with “perfection.”

       I will allow my garden to deepen my connection with nature.

       I will garden simply because it pleases my soul.

      I believe the work of a gardener and an artist is synonymous: both create masterpieces with their hands. Here and there in this book I mention famous artists whose lives and work inspire me. Many of them have not concerned themselves with words like “perfection,” but have painted to please their souls. I am especially intrigued by Anna Mary Robertson Moses. You probably know her as Grandma Moses. At the age of 78, she picked up a brush for the first time and started painting. She became incredibly famous for her nostalgic illustrations of an earlier, simpler time that lived vividly in her memory:

       I look out the window sometimes to seek the color of the shadows and the different greens in the trees, but when I get ready to paint, I just close my eyes and imagine a scene.

      By its very nature, a garden is not about perfection. It is a living, changing being – just like you, just like me. I’m not the first person to say that a garden is a metaphor for life. My deepest desire in writing this book is that perhaps you, too, will consider and explore some of the gardening practices and ideals I have adopted over the years. I like to keep things simple and natural, organic and sustainable. One thing is certain: I am and have always been a self-proclaimed lazy, cheap gardener who loves to create balance, ease and beauty outdoors. I believe our gardens should be our love, not our labor of love.

      I have tended and toiled in thousands of gardens as a professional and home gardener. I have seen a lot and solved a lot. I have also learned that I don’t have to do everything myself. Knowing limitations and asking for help allows opportunities in and out of the garden. I am honored and excited to share with you my second-half-of-life way of thinking about gardens and gardening.

      One more thing: I live and garden in Michigan. Your garden may be in California or Texas or Pennsylvania. The basic information in this book applies to gardeners everywhere. But when it comes to plant selection and tips for various