Begin Again

I have retired as of December 31st, as a landscaper with a crew who installed and maintained lovely garden spaces. Together, my crew and I created and maintained perennial and flowering shrub gardens, wildflower and woodland gardens, patios, retaining walls, millstone fountains and pergolas. Our gardens lifted the human Spirit. It was a great ride for 30 years! I will miss it.

I have not, however, retired from being creative. This Spring, I teach a second class at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. This one is entitled, “Flowering Shrubs and Small Trees”.

I am also picking up the writing my Blog. I would like to give useful garden advice, but will probably trail off into writing about my crew, their craftsmanship and their families. I also may just wax poetic with an ode or two.

It seems fitting somehow, to start with the dismantling of “Christie’s Fine Gardening”. The liquidation of everything was an experience filled with good will, fairness fun, and gratitude for my husband and me and the people buying our equipment.

The Liquidation

My husband and partner, Kevin, and I have always believed in clean endings and quick goodbyes. After a month of helping our crew and clients find other companies to turn to, we were ready to move on.

Our guys flew home to Mexico on the 14th of December. Between the 15th and 31st we gave away or sold trucks, mowers, trailers, hedge trimmers, shovels, pruners, ball carriers, wheel barrels, power washers, chain saws, drills, mason tools, fertilizer spreaders, wrenches, deer netting, surveyors scopes, pitchforks, nail guns, ladders, tool boxes, wrench sets, grinders, vices and a steel garden trellis someone didn’t want ( It got over 100 hits on messenger in 1 day!).

I texted one young man who bought my battered ball carrier of 30 years how he had bought one of my most sentimental of tools. His reply, “It’s going to a good and home and will be taken care of.”

All went for cheap, but fair prices. Most trucks were 20 yrs old, but well maintained. My favorite sale was the propane fed shop heater, that went for a dollar. Kevin was a happy guy with that one.

It wasn’t about the money. We did not add to the landfill, and tried to give other people a good deal and leg up, as we had been given years ago. It felt good, and was fun.

There was some sadness too. I went by the shop with my family on the way to dinner on Christmas eve. There was a empty parking lot with 5 filled garbage cans lined up outside the fence. I cried just a bit at that site.

I see the company end like an old battleship being scuttled. It goes fast, and keeps its dignity.

Christie lives in Manakin Sabot , Virginia where she manages a 3 acre garden. Her blogs are written from her 35 years as a personal and professional gardener.