When someone asks me what’s the best first step to take in the garden, I say, put a plan together. And that makes sense because a master plan, pinned to the back of the laundry door, will help make the garden develop the way you want it to. Whether your projects are big – a new drive, deck, pergola, pool – or small – renovating a garden bed, planting some trees – your master plan will keep things ticking along very nicely. That’s the logical approach and it’s my professional approach… but there’s also another way to garden, I call it mindful gardening.
It’s what happens sometimes when you head outside with a job in mind, but somehow a subconscious thought creeps in. And this is the moment when I say, go with your subconscious, because gardening is also about not forcing things. There are times when it’s about not having a plan.