A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.
– Liberty Hyde Bailey, American horticulturist
I went back to gardening this week after a long break. Though it’s hard physical labour for me to pull the weeds and repot the plants, I relish the time I spend in my backyard garden.
The garden looks small but if left unattended for a long time, it can be quite a challenge to restore it back to order. Just like a kid who has been left to roam wild and undisciplined for a long time, it takes time to restore a neglected garden.
Right now, I am still a long way to restoring order to my unkempt and wild garden. My best friend in Sibu has advised me to be patient and take my time. “You can wake up early and work on it one or two hours before going to the office,” she suggested.
Encouraged by the sight of a pineapple plant flowering for the first time in years, I am now repotting other pineapple plants as well. I eat a lot of pineapples and often save the tops for planting.
Pineapples are good to plant because they are full of nutrients, antioxidants and other useful compounds such as enzymes that can fight inflammation and diseases.
I am also planting serai (lemon grass) and kangkong (water spinach) in pots. I prefer planting vegetables than flowers; growing our own vegetables can help us save money, encourage us to eat more greens and is good for health.
If you are a houseowner, you want to be proud of your abode even though it is small. A beautiful garden can make your house beautiful.
After the demise of my dear mother recently, my family is slowly getting rid of unwanted things and donating reusable items like used clothing in the house.
Among many Chinese families, it is customary to repaint the bedroom where a deceased member used to stay. My family is waiting for the mourning period to end before doing so. We are in the process of donating my mother’s useable clothes.
Right now, in my house, we are undertaking our biggest spring-cleaning exercise ever. I am surprised at the tremendous amount of clutter and family history I have collected.
I am the unofficial family historian — I still keep pictures of my son, nephews and nieces when they were in kindergarten. Now, my son and nephews are married and have their own families while my nieces are either in their early or mid-twenties. All stayed with me when they were young.
When I asked my son whether he wanted to take back to his own house his kindy picture, he said, “No”.
Actually, I am looking forward to returning the photographs to all their rightful owners and end my self-appointment as the unofficial family historian. I want to unclutter this old house and make it a minimalist home.
One country that is obsessed with minimalism is Japan. Many Japanese like to throw everything out and keep just what they need. Since Japan is regularly beset by earthquakes, it is advisable for its people not to have many valuable possessions in the house. After all, half of the earthquake injuries there comes from falling objects.
Some of my nieces and nephews call me a hoarder. If I am one, it is by accident and not by choice. I am lucky my son is quietly helping me to unclutter my house right now. If I am left alone, it may take me years to do so because I hate spring cleaning.
If you ask me to choose between gardening and spring cleaning, I’d choose gardening any time. Never mind the hot sun beating down on me and making me more tanned. I tell myself that regular sun exposure is the most natural way that I get enough Vitamin D.
I love the smell of freshly cut grass after being desk-bound for five days in the office. Gardening helps me reduce stress and anxiety and improve my mental health.
Some people do not know what to do on their days off. Some like to sleep on and off all day long. On my days off, I look forward to gardening and spending at least two hours a day working on my plants. What about you?
