Greetings to all garden warriors and any garden newbees everywhere! We are on a mission, and together we can save and protect the hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies, bees, ladybugs, lightening bugs, and so many more insects and animals that depend on our gardens for survival. They are all in extreme danger of extinction, and as much as they need our help to survive, we depend on them just as much and even more! You and I can help each other by sharing our gardening knowledge. As the famous ecologist, Douglas Tallamy wrote, “The Age of Ecological Enlightenment” must begin now! We all need to keep our ecosystems healthy. Our motto is “More Gardens Please”! It’s not too late, unless we don’t start now. And a new relationship with nature is how we save the natural world.
My name is Charlotte B. This is my first ever blog, and I’m dedicating it to healing the world one garden at a time! I am a retired nurse, was actually forced into retirement before I was ready in late 2019 due to several hip surgeries, leaving me unable to walk well enough without a cane. I loved my job so much, it was my deep passion. I spent most of my nearly 50 years as a nurse taking care of people with chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis. We were able to really get to know our patients so well that we became their good friends since we saw them 3 times each week for the rest of their lives, unless someone was fortunate enough to receive a kidney transplant. It was such a great honor to be of service to these friends as we tried every day to give them something, any reason to smile. It gave so much meaning to my life and this was where I met my husband, soulmate, best friend and co-worker. It’s where we fell in love. And together, we actually adopted another co-worker who lost both of her parents. Several months after my surgeries, my husband developed Covid and died in the hospital. I wasn’t able to visit him due to the lock- down. I was lost in sorrow.
Over the following couple years I spent a great deal of my time posting many comments on social media sites about beautiful gardens and how important they are to our existence. Gardening was once my second passion, and now it’s my greatest. I have developed an enormous love for building beautiful gardens that help and protect the insects, birds, and all species that depend on our plants and flowers to live. And I’m sure you know that, as humans, our well-being depends on their abilities. Each blog post will be devoted to how we can work together for each of these friends. I want to hear your thoughts, knowledge, expertise, questions and recommendations. We can’t afford to not do everything in our power to reverse this devastating situation that’s occurring!
This is a call to action! This is not just about saving these very endangered lives and healing the world by building certain specific types of gardens. It’s also about giving back and paying it forward, by spreading love, compassion and gratitude for LIFE. It’s about nurturing your soul, your inspiration and all of the many positive feelings we will be creating together!
So I’m reaching out to all garden people, no matter your garden size, whether it’s container or in-ground gardens. This is only the beginning, so stay tuned. We will discuss what the best native plants and flowers are for your particular zip code. We have much work to do, but we can do this together, and just think about all the fun we’ll have while sharing our ideas and helping each other and doing our part to save lives! This is truly ‘The Meaning of Life”!
Thank you for your participation! I am so grateful, and if you send in your zip code, we will be able to identify your regional native plants.