Welcome to my very first blog post here at Tranquil Gardener. I have some catching up to do, so let’s get right to it.
I like to think of myself as a bit of a rebel gardener—at least in my town. Around me, the landscapes are immaculate: perfectly trimmed hedges, deep green lawns kept at an exact three inches, and leaves replaced with neat layers of dyed wood mulch. It’s a look many people love, but I’ve chosen a different path. My goal is to create something more natural, more diverse, and more alive.
While I’ll occasionally use a few bags of mulch, most of the time I rely on what nature provides. Leaves from our oak, maple, and other trees are shredded and returned to the soil, enriching the ground while keeping the cycle of growth in motion.
Together, my wife and I have planted a wide variety of fruit and nut trees—walnut, hazelnut, cherry, pawpaw, persimmon, beach plum, quince, gooseberry, and more. We’ve even dedicated a small patch of land to a meadow. It started as a simple “no-mow zone” where grass and wild plants could flourish, but over time I’ve introduced edibles along the edges while keeping room for native species. In future posts, I’ll share more about the meadow, our fruit trees, and the perennial vegetables we’re experimenting with.
The rewards of this approach go beyond fresh produce. We’re surrounded by a thriving ecosystem: songbirds fill the air morning and evening, and in June and July, the night sky glitters with fireflies. Of course, that same abundance means our garden has become a haven for local wildlife. Our trail camera has captured foxes, groundhogs, raccoons, squirrels, and deer—all enjoying what our yard provides.
I often joke that our property is the neighborhood wildlife buffet. One summer, I even watched a squirrel make several trips from a pine tree nest to our peach tree, carrying off fruit that wasn’t even ripe. By the time I intervened, only one peach remained. I left it for the squirrel—after all, they’d worked hard for it.
That moment was the beginning of my journey to balance two goals: creating a tranquil, welcoming property while also protecting just enough of the harvest for ourselves.
The humor of those experiences inspired two of our most popular designs:
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“I Fought the Squirrels and the Squirrels Won”
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“I Garden So the Wildlife Can Eat”
Now, when I sip tea from one of those mugs and watch the squirrels enjoy another peach, I do it with a smile—and a little inspiration for my next gardening experiment.
You can find both designs here:
I Garden So the Wildlife Can Eat Mug
Thank you for joining me for this first post. I’m excited to share more about natural gardening, fruit trees, perennial vegetables, and the wildlife that keeps us on our toes.
Wishing you a fruitful day,
Jim
Tranquil Gardener
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