Blog challenge · nonfiction · postaday · writing

IBQ Writing Prompt: Garden

JackieP

This week’s prompt is:

Garden

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”  –  Cicero

What does a garden mean to you?  A nice lawn?  Flowers?  Vegetables?  Something to admire from afar?  Do you like to garden?  Or does the smell of dirt and the sight of bugs, send you rushing into the house?  Are you a city dweller longing for a garden?  An introvert seeking a quiet refuge?

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I love gardens. Any kind of gardens. Flowers, of course, are a favorite, but I’ll take a vegetable garden too. I love growing things.

I”ve always wanted a nice garden to sit in and watch the beauty of mother nature. And as the saying up above says, it is the restoration of the five senses.

Sight; you get to look at mother nature’s best. Colors the make you feel happy, not only with flowers, but the butterflies and hummingbirds that come to drink the nectar of those flowers. You can see the vivid greens, yellows, reds, pinks, even blues and purples. It’s like a rainbow decided to live in your yard for a while.

Sound; you hear the breeze in the leaves, softly rustle. Or the singing of a bird that has decided to visit, maybe even live in your garden. You hear the buzzing of bees and insects as they live off the flowers and plants that you have grown. It’s a continuous cycle that you have contributed to.

Smell; the fragrance of the flowers is intoxicating. Soft perfume fills the air and as you breath it in you feel the stress of any worries just slide away. Maybe you’ve planted some mint and as a warm breeze wafts by you get just a hint of the mint in the air. Refreshing and soothing.

Taste; there are some flowers that are edible, the soft petals of delicate perfume on your tongue. If you grow vegetables or have fruit trees or shrubs, well the possibilities of taste are endless. Tangy lemons from your lemon tree in lemonade or if you like a bit fresh lemon in your tea. If you grow  apple, pear, plum trees. So many tastes await you. Then there are the herbs, which I love to grow. To cook with fresh herbs is wonderful and will make you appreciate herbs at their finest. They can be pungent or gentle. But always a delight.

Touch; the softness of the grass underneath your feet. The brush of the breeze against your skin.  As you bend to smell a flower the velvety petals against your nose. Even to the smoothness of the wood bench, or the cool roughness of a stone seat can give one a reason to stay awhile and enjoy the scenery.

For me a garden is a way to refuel my soul, much like mediation does. To sit and enjoy it with someone I love and the benefits are 100 fold to me.

(This is my 500th post for WordPress! Yay, me!!)

19 thoughts on “IBQ Writing Prompt: Garden”

  1. Congrats on the 500th post Jackie, great achievement.
    Gardens are all those things you listed, growing things you will enjoy eating is a real treat, having colour a delight, sitting amongst it taking in the aromas, the textures, the view is superb.

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    1. Thank you Michael! No wonder my fingers hurt LOL

      Gardens are wonderful aren’t they? Especially sitting in one with someone you love…….

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  3. Happy 500! You don’t look a day over 499! 😀

    The one thing I don’t like about being an apartment dweller is limited or no garden space. Done right, I can spend hours in a garden, just like a museum or library. 🙂

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    1. Thanks I keep my youthful looks well I think LOL 🙂

      Yes even a small garden is heaven I think. I could spend hours in them myself.

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  4. JackieP,

    i agree a garden is definetely a sure fire way to spark your senses. as a spirirtually i am Pagan and i find that my garden and flower beds ground and center me. i love the smells, the sounds of nature around me, the feel of the dirt, leaves and petals, seeing the fresh little buds and then later the fruit of my labors,and of course but not least looking down at my plate and realizing that i grew most of what is on it!!! The only thing better would be reading a good book amoungst all those plants and flowers! thank you for sharing…great post!

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  5. Congrats on your 500th post! You’re so right about gardens delighting all the senses. May is a fabulous month for gardens here in the Pacific Northwest and I’ve been basking in all the things you described here.

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  6. Congratulations on hitting the 500 mark, Jackie – well done!!! 😀

    My garden is huge and I couldn’t live without it. I even write in the open air! 😀

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  8. A bit late but congrats on 500. May I live so long to write that many and you do it so well. I have been lost without dirt to play in. I’m like a little kid who is happier the dirtier I get. I hope to create a lovely garden from that dirt soon.

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      1. You are too funny. ) Thank you for thinking of me. It’s appreciated. I was up most of the night so I tried to catch up on my blogs and e-mail. Down from 400 to 175. 🙂

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