I grew up with a big garden in Australia and also in New Zealand - but I never had to take care of it. Then I moved to apartment after apartment, where a few indoor plants survived under my rule of thumb: “I’ll give you water, the rest is up to you.”

And then, one day, I again had a garden. And though I was full of desires and ideas for that patch of green...I realised I was a little apprehensive knowing absolutely nothing about gardens, and the care required. But then I realised with gardening, unlike with cooking, you cannot go wrong!

Yes you might try plants that don’t take off, or whose looks you don’t love, but none of it is a big deal, ever. It is so fun to play in that way: with no consequences!

I’ve thrown ‘wildflower spring mixes’ at the base of the lemon tree, and watched with curiosity as an unruly and disheveled bunch rose randomly from the potting soil. They’re already gone. I’ve planted with no long term plan whatsoever high maintenance basil and tomatoes, and low maintenance succulents. Even a walnut tree (in the ground) and a camellia (in a pot - can’t wait for those big buds to open!)

And now at the Fall Equinox I started wondering if I could plan a little for next year, for once. I would really like more flowers, but this isn’t the right time to seed, is it?