Function vs. Form

Given that there are only so many hours in any given day, I often am forced to make a choice between spending time in my veggie patch (function) and my flower beds (form). Usually, since it provides my favorite thing -FOOD- I choose to work in the veggie patch. Still, sometimes I wish I could spend more time making things pretty. I have considered that idea of planting veggies in with your flowers, but I plant so much that I don't feel that would be appropriate. Really, I don't have enough flower beds to handle all my veggies.

Today I was cruising around on the web, waiting for Little Sprout to fall asleep (please go to sleep), and I stumbled across some pictures of beautiful flower gardens. These are the kind of flower gardens I love and aspire to have someday. The kind where you literally walk through the garden, not stand in the lawn and look at the garden. This was the whole shebang: arbors and trellises and walls and vines overhead, curving pathways enticing you to come just a little further along. I turned a little green with envy. Immediately I started thinking of all the things I could do over at mom and dad's place. Rip out the lawn, install this and that, put a pond just here, with maybe a dry creek bed there....

And then reality struck. Saturday I watered the veggie patch because the weeds were looking dry (note to self: gotta do some serious weeding in there). Many of my flowers are in desperate need of weeding, watering, mulching, etc. My "Gnome Homes" are in a depressing state of disarray, needing cleaning and repair. My little Gnome Village is in desperate need of some kind of ground cover (anyone got any ideas that are short and not invasive?). I realized that I can't keep up with what I have, so the likelihood of me being able to handle a huge walk-through garden is pretty laughable.

But I want it. I guess my best bet is to cut out pictures from magazines and pretend until I have my own bit of green. And, of course, get out there and do some weedin'.