[ Gardening can have its punishments, too ]

By Henrietta M. Gleason

Special to The Capital-Journal

A bit of advice for those of us who are Beyond 50: Don't bite off more than you can chew.

If you are going to get serious about the first warm day in the spring and decide to plant flowers and shrubs, remember that the next day the back and muscles that you used the day before are going to be crying for attention.

If only I had heeded this advice myself when I couldn't bear to see the flower beds I had neglected last fall still full of weeds and old leaves.

A few hours spent resting on a heating pad and a nice hot bath will take care of most aches and pains while you get prepared for the next project.

If you have the time and patience to prepare and build a water garden, do it. It is so soothing and restful just to listen to the water as it trickles over the rocks and watch the gold fish as they glide through the water or even see an occasional small frog sunning themselves on a lily pad.

Water gardening can be as rewarding as a dirt garden and not as much trouble. Just remember tropical lily plants need to be taken indoors or they will freeze in the winter.

Fish come in all colors, gold, yellow, white and black, and if the pool is deep enough, they will stay in the bottom all winter long even though the surface is frozen.

We bought six goldfish at the bait shop several years ago and now have 50 or more. They are quite frisky and don't hold still long enough to be counted, but they can be trained to come to the side of the pool to eat by tapping gently on the side with a rock.

Henrietta M. Gleason enjoys her garden in Topeka.

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