Caretaking

The gardening jobs I most enjoy are maintaining well loved gardens; you are aware and appreciative of the careful thought that went into creating the space and as the caretaker you get to develop your own relationship with the garden. I'm looking after a lovely yard in Willard Beach this summer while the owner is away. As I weed and prune and dead head, I have a sense of this person that placed these plants and watered and watched them grow over time. I often think of him when I walk through the narrow gravel passageway from the front of the house to the back; this week it is scattered with petals from the Azalea. I wonder if he would have picked these petals up right away? I imagine that he would take pleasure in seeing them lying amongst the stones, as I do, so I'll leave them there to dry and join the ground or the wind.