by Ann Hackeling.

Mention gardening and I smile. Gardening lifts my spirits and keeps me grounded at the same time. I like the feel of damp-crumbly soil, I like to see and imagine the zillions of creatures working together below ground to support life above ground. I feel thankful when new shoots burst through the soil and reach for the sky. My heart warms when I observe birds, bees, and butterflies visit the banquet table I prepare with them in mind.

Gardening makes me smile because I can play a small part in nurturing goodness and beauty from the earth. What I miss the most about the Enchanted Garden is sharing my joy with others. For the past eight years spring meant reconnecting with volunteers and the community in the
Enchanted Garden. My mornings were filled planting, weeding, watering, turning compost… with the help of fellow gardeners and in the company of library visitors. What a treat it was to share that first picked strawberry or witness a bee pollinate a tomato, together.

I am thrilled to be the Enchanted Garden Coordinator and can’t wait to see you in the garden. Until then, I hope you enjoy my On Demand Learning videos, available on the Library’s YouTube channel.

You can also find free online resources available via the Library’s website. You just need a Library card number and PIN. If you don’t have one, you can register for a temporary digital account.

Available to read as an eBook on RB Digital Books: 
Living with Nature Underfoot by John Hainze
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
The Intelligent Gardener by Steve Solomon
Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart

And there’s a couple of great magazines in Press Reader: 
Organic Gardener Magazine
Kids Go Gardening,
Kitchen Garden

and in RB Digital Magazines: 
Birds and Blooms
Mother Earth News
Rodale’s Organic Life

Ann is a Master Gardener and the Enchanted Garden Coordinator at the HCLS, where she has worked for HCLS for eight years. You can find her smiling in the garden and sharing her passion for plants, nature, and our community.