Could it be more appropriate that as we pass the Easter weekend which focuses on the death and resurrection of Jesus, our gardens are emerging from the cold winter of Edmonton to show us that they too are not dead and are coming back to life as the soil warms and the temperatures begin to moderate? This year’s intention is that both our neighbour Bud’s garden and our own will look full of colour and life.

Bud is beyond looking after a garden now in his 97th year and quite unsteady on his feet. So last year I asked him if we might help him with some growth in the garden. I planted some ground cover which should really spread this year and a number of bulbs. I’ll add some other perennials in time which will fill it in. I also planted grass where it had not grown for a while and began watering it along with our own.

Edmonton is a dry climate and without some help, the soil seems to turn almost dust-like. But with some good compost, regular watering, and plants that are draught-resistant and we have a garden!

Just before the ground froze last autumn I covered both gardens in a couple inches of leaves to keep the moisture in and to encourage all those good bugs to live under there for the winter. This week when I began to pull the leaves back this is what I found – beautiful colours and the bulbs in the ground begin to push up through the dirt to start their growth cycle.

I find gardening to be soul-refreshing. Since I was a teenager I have found digging around in the dirt to feel good to give me a sense of calm and peace. Like walking through the woods as a kid up at the cottage, the sense of being outdoors has always refreshed me.

Interesting that The Bible begins and ends in a garden. I wonder if that is why gardening is such an enduring interest and such a satisfying experience? It actually speaks to the eternal part of our being.