Leave it alone!

I seem to be burdened with some idea that a “garden” implies detailed knowledge, fastidious maintenance and a sturdy aesthetic, that is, a reliable sense of what you — the gardener — like. I find all three ideals open to challenge. But lately, the last of them seems to be eroding the other two. It’s early February, and it’s hardly unusual for the garden to have lower priority than it does the rest of the year. But this is different. I look around. I notice things that I’ve been meaning to change, but at the same time I’m thinking what most of us ought to do with the environment is to STOP doing things to it. I think I may just leave it alone — a combination of conviction, confusion, and no doubt a healthy dose of laziness.