You can’t grow a garden you don’t water. And if you’re not passionate about watering a garden you’re already in, it will die anyway. So, starting a new garden won’t harm anything.
I’m taking a moment to look around my garden and notice some dead foliage. I’m seeing some dead patches that are slowly spreading.
The parts of me that have lost passion for my garden are starting to seem more prominent now. Which means I’m going to repeat patterns of not watering.
Other parts of me are planning and landscaping a new garden with completely different plants and vegetation, and the call to water that new garden is strong.
The problem is that the new garden still has just soil and seedlings, so it’s hard to see its beauty yet. My current garden is recognisable, and if I look at it from certain angles, I can ignore the death that will eventually spread if it remains unwatered.
You can’t grow a garden you don’t water. There is only one water supply, so two gardens can’t thrive simultaneously. One will have the water source, and the other will rely on water cupped in your hands, most spilling through your fingers during transport.
The bravest act of gardening isn’t maintaining what no longer thrives, but knowing when to let certain plants return to the earth. It isn’t about dividing water between dying plants and hopeful seedlings, but carrying your watering can to where new growth calls you.
Sometimes, the most honest gardening is acknowledging when it’s time to tend to a different soil altogether.
