A garden can be many things. Above all perhaps a way to express one's personality. A garden will always be dependant on its creator and the person tending it. Without care it will soon cease to exist, and only traces will linger.Many believe they know what a garden is SUPPOSED to be, or they ask what it SHOULD be, so that they will make no mistakes. Relax, a garden will be what you MAKE it, and there is only one single thing that any person can guarantee, you WILL make mistakes and fail over and over again... The favorite plant will refuse to grow, the deer will assign your vegetable patch their salad bar, your significant other will run over the very expensive paeony you just planted with the lawn mower, and you will fight against weeds (they always win) among other things. But, if you have once started growing things, you are unlikely to ever stop...
For some a garden is a way to show off that you are sensitive to the latest trends. For others it is a means to heal deep wounds. To many it is their greatest pleasure. It helps me empty my mind and clear up my thoughts.
Regardless of a person's relationship with gardens or gardening it will always be valid. There are no absolutes and no real rights or wrongs. However, if you are out in the garden breaking your back simply to keep your neighbours happy, then maybe you need to sit down and think things through a little. Growing should give more than it takes, at least that is my personal firm belief. To be allowed to do something you love, without someone else's finger pointing you can give energy, even if you by the evening feel absolutely spent.
The garden is yours, and no ideas are too crazy. Yes, you can fail miserably, but the result can just as well be something fantastic, but totally unexpected. A garden is a piece of tamed nature, but it will always put up great resistance and try to fight attempts to keep it at bay. It's a quite fantastic dynamic relationship.
Sometimes, maybe it is prudent to remind oneself that the garden you strongly dislike is loved by someone else. Respect and revel in the differences. Live and let live is an excellent philosophy.
