MindBody Medicine: An Early Spring Walk Through My Garden

Kathy Morelli
Jun 5, 2013
2 min read

Updated: Jun 28

Originally published June 5, 2013

These photographs capture my garden as it looked in the early spring of 2013. Gardens are always changing, and mine certainly has. Some plants have grown into large drifts, others have disappeared, and many new flowers and shrubs have found a home here over the years. Looking back at these early photographs reminds me that gardens, like people, are always growing and evolving.

Gardening is one of my favorite forms of “mind-body relaxation”

Gardening has long been one of my favorite forms of mind-body medicine. Every spring, I look forward to those first signs of life as perennial flowers begin pushing through the soil after a long winter.

My garden has never been about creating perfection. It has always been a place to slow down, reconnect with nature, and restore my own sense of balance. Living in northern New Jersey means sharing the landscape with plenty of deer, so gardening has also taught me patience, flexibility, and a sense of humor. Every season brings new surprises—and new negotiations with hungry wildlife!

These photographs capture an early spring walk through my garden. Looking back, they remind me that gardens are living stories. Some plants have grown larger, others have moved, and new flowers have found their place over the years. Like us, gardens continue to change, season after season.

Some 2013 Photos of My Garden

My Hellebore Garden

This large clump of hellebores came from my Aunt Mary when she moved from her home more than twenty years ago. Every late winter these flowers remind me that gardens often carry family memories from one generation to the next.

The Rock Garden

My little angel has been watching over this garden for more than ten years. It's one of my favorite quiet corners to pause and enjoy the early spring flowers.

Pink Dogwoods

After waiting patiently for several years, I was finally rewarded with these beautiful spring blossoms. Gardening has a wonderful way of teaching patience.

Skip Laurel

My son helped me wrap the shrubs for winter, and they rewarded us with beautiful blooms. The gardening books say deer don't usually browse skip laurel—but apparently the deer in my neighborhood never got that memo!

The Back Hill

This is just the beginning. As spring gives way to summer, this hillside fills with color, pollinators, and the quiet rhythms that make gardening one of my favorite mindfulness practices.