As my dad always said, “Long time, no see,” (Am American idiom). It has been a while since I’ve written, my time consumed by packing up our English house, clearing it out and giving away my garden—pot by pot. It was a sad process, but I had to steel myself and do it (from a distance) since UK visa laws required us to leave the country too long to keep our house and my garden. But the recipients of my pots of perennials and bulbs are blessed. Many have promised to send pictures of new blooms and the plants’ progress, promised to pray for me as they enjoy my plants and pots. Don’t send any pictures if the plants die though, I insisted.

My English garden helped keep me going during the long lockdowns during 2020 in the UK, and gave my husband and me  a place to receive visitors when they were allowed in our gardens. There’s something about seeing the plants’ progress—growth, new blooms, something satisfying. It was also great to have a place to get out of the house, to potter/putter about, to clear my mind and to pray. We had two outdoor dining set-ups in opposite ends of the garden where on many warm or almost warm days, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But now, we’ve landed back in the Southern Piedmont region of the United States without much place to garden. However, I have a bay window with good light in my art studio that I’m filling with orchids and other tropical plants. I’m also learning that there are many more plants that do well in low to almost no light indoors, which encourages me since other windows in my care receive very little light. Even orchids are often listed as “low light.”

I hope you’ll stick with me as I grow as many plants indoors as I can manage and negotiate other places to grow beauty in our rented space. I’ll also be highlighting aspects of my English garden that I so enjoyed.

In what ways has your garden-or public gardens, helped you through the pandemic?