The Garden and Our Senses

Feel, smell, touch, taste, and listen to your garden!

As stated by Hanna Rion, "The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses." That is what we believe too. The scent of the soil in early spring awakens us. The sight of the first honeybees on the crocus enthralls us when we are at eye level. The rewarding sounds of desiccated leaves with the first spring cleanup renew us. The touch of the ladybug on a bare forearm reminds us of the living garden environment. And of course, the wonderful tastes from our vegetable gardens please us spring through to winter.

Everyday a garden gives to us, and you choose how to be in your garden. There are times that the scents tantalize you, as in the thyme wafting up from a spring raking, or perhaps you go to where your cat is taking in the first of the catnip leaves and you too join in! Other days it may be the sounds of all the birds that capture your ears. A single buzz of a bee laden with pollen is one of my favorite moments in the quietude of the garden. Then the touch, the feel, of soil on your hands. Early in the spring the hands get cold, then in the height of summer, your hands feel dry and craggy from all the time spent in the soil. This is what gardening is! At the end of the day, it is stimulating to recall the feelings provided to you from your garden.

When you are out and about as the days call to you, pay attention to all the wonders coming forth and all you experience.  No doubt, part of the sensations are that you will end up with sore muscles, and rejoice!