The pace was fevered, the urgency palpable. I knew what needed to be done and I tried. I really did.

It has rained for a week on the island and the flowers and vegetables in the garden have gone wild. They are all so happy. The potatoes especially, oh my goodness. But you know what else grows in the rain. Weeds. The garden is overcome, in just one week, with weeds. To the judgmental eye, it looks as if I have not tended my garden in, well, forever.

But the sun has returned and with it the warmer temperatures and by late morning in my garden, it is too hot to work. I know what you are thinking, but my garden is for my enjoyment and I do not at this late stage of life enjoy working in 30 degree heat. I am not happy about the weedy mess but am unwilling to break a sweat to tidy it. So the weeding has to be done in the early morning. Hence the urgency I felt this morning.

I was up in the garden, watering and weeding and planting by 7:30. Quite happy to be working in the shade of the morning. I lasted till 11 before the heat sent me back to my shady deck. At this pace, it will take me a few days to get the garden back to a respectable state. Any of the work though will be taking place in the early morning.

Gardens as a group, can be divided into sub categories. I think of them as the VanDuesen, the Disneyland and mine.

Where we raised our kids, we had a a neighbour with a swimming pool and attached hot tub. The family’s greatest enjoyment in the back yard was in the pool and the hot-tub with the requisite amount of noise. The patio had lots of toys and was tastefully decorated with potted easy care shrubs. A kids heaven, Disneyland.

Our other neighbour had the most gorgeous garden you could imagine with manicured lawns, carefully coordinated flowers and a heated Gazebo which could sit a small army. Truly a work of art and a sanctuary for both the gardener, the lawn cutter and their kids…. VanDuesen….

Then, there are gardens which polite visitors describe as ordered chaos. A home for birds and fish and people who can look past the jumble to find the flowers. Although there is not a straight edge to be found, the chaos should be ordered with few weeds.

The thing of it is.. I like to visit Disneyland gardens and dip my feet in a swimming pool. I really like to visit VanDuesen gardens, especially my friend’s, it is lovely. But, I really feel at home with the madness of my garden, at least I will in a few days when the

weeds are gone.