Editorial
GARDENING : A SAGA IN SEVERAL SEASONS
We ’ ve been house-hunting for a couple of years when we see it : the cottage in the woods of our dreams . Even though “ the woods ” is actually only three big trees , they abut and tower over the little house , sheltering and protecting it . Quite literally ! As it turns out , those trees , themselves protected by law , are the reason the house hasn ’ t been snapped up by developers and demolished in favor of condos — there ’ s no way to take down the house without killing them . We love our trees !
But … the trees have sucked all the life out of the surrounding soil , which is cementlike . No wonder almost everything else on the property is dead . We are told nothing will ever grow here .
However … as home renovations get under way , I begin intensive soil conditioning . Composting , mulching , feeding , acidifying … wow , there are a LOT of rocks . And broken glass and chunks of brick . And a lot of this is just sand . Why ?
But ! Emboldened by chutzpah , I start a large worm farm , which I lavish with love and table scraps . The couple of half-dead scrubby plants that were here already are definitely perking up ! I put in a ton of new baby plants , knowing they won ’ t look great for a few years , but the pleasure of watching them grow is worth it . I feel myself bathed in benevolence , bringing life where once death held sway .
So now it turns out that all the pipes to and from the house are kaput . Why did it take the renovation team so long to figure this out ? Something having to do with those trees …
Anyway , the whole yard comes up again .
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