Creativity
Creativity is such a part of my life that it really can’t be separated out- as a professional Mural Artist painting and artwork surely are my means of making a living, but for sheer joy of creative expression for it’s own sake, I choose gardening and garden design. I love finding new plants, new colors, new styles, rearranging, dividing, building things to display plants, making spots to just sit and admire the garden, and helping other people to learn to garden too.
When I have the time and weather permits, I can be found out in my garden, working with the perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs, weeding, deadheading, pruning and maintaining my small city lot. It is filled with all kinds of plants, from large mature shade trees to fruits and vegetables, as well as the ornamentals I love. If I am not out there physically, I am gazing out the window at it, and it beckons me to come out and be amongst the flowers, sitting in one of several different shady spots set up to relax in, and drinking in the sight and scent of the garden. It seems to change every day, especially at this time of year as the spring ephemerals come out to greet the warm sun, the trees and shrubs bloom and leaf out and some begin to bear the promise of a fruitful summer.
Some of my earliest memories are of poking a seed into some soil and patiently waiting for the small plant to emerge, grow and bloom. I still take great joy in that- saving seeds from favorite plants, and starting another generation of uniquely colored flowers for another summer’s garden. Every year is a little different, and a completely unique garden emerges as plants grow, bloom , live out their lives and die, and are replaced with perhaps something new and unique. It’s exciting to me to save just the seeds from the flowers I found to be the prettiest and strongest, and set them aside for the winter until March when they are scattered onto seed flats to start the cycle over.
As an Advanced Master Gardener, I like to share my love of gardening with the public, writing about gardening and sharing my thoughts with others. I’ve joined some wonderful on-line garden groups who share my love of gardening, design as well as photography. My camera records the changes in the garden, the beautiful flowers and plants in every different season, so that over the long cold Michigan winter, I can remember the year before, plan for the seasons to come, and share my garden with all my friends.
See you in the garden!
Ellen Leigh
