Gardens are incredibly giving spaces.

They give us beauty, bounty, and fresh air. But anyone who spends some quality, slow time in their garden knows that they give oh so much more than just those things.

The more time I spend in my garden the more I notice little things that either inspire me or seem to be delivering a deliberate message. Because my garden is speaking to me in it’s own way, I want to give it the respect it deserves and acknowledge that I am listening. I also want to write down the lessons I’ve learned along the way so that I can remember them for years to come.

The first lesson my garden has taught me: pay attention. People talk about gardeners as having “green thumbs.” They don’t. Their thumbs look just like everyone else’s. What’s different is that they pay attention and learn. As I delve into the world of gardening and strive to turn our formerly blah yard into something beautiful, I have had to pay much closer attention to everything.

I have to monitor where the light is at any given time of day and at any given time of year to know whether a certain plant has a chance of surviving where I put it. I have to pay attention to whether I am watering too much or too little. I have to pay attention to little signs like curled leaves or brown spots that may indicate a plant is in distress. The list goes on and on, but the cool part is that paying attention to all these things results in something even cooler: knowledge.

It’s true that knowledge is power, and when you have gardening knowledge your superpower is the ability to transform the earth. I mean that literally, that you can transform dirt into healthy, living soil. I also mean it figuratively, in that you can take whatever little piece of this planet you have and make it something that brings you joy, peace, and hopefully pollinators! But seriously, a garden can bring a sense of whatever you want, the options are truly limitless.

As I wield my trowel like it’s my magic wand, I keep paying attention and learning as I go. I know that as long as I give my garden a little of my time and attention every day, my garden will reward me in ways that I can’t imagine yet. It’s already blessed me with stunning flowers, it’s helped me meet neighbors that have since become great friends, and of course provided my family with delicious, organic produce. But this is only the second year and my garden is still so young. We have many years to grow together, and though outwardly I am the one using my powers to change the landscape and shape the space into what I want it to be, I know that as long as I am paying attention, the garden will be shaping me too.