Monday, May 27, 2019

#Microblog Mondays: Starting Over

I really, really miss my gardens -- the chaos, the profusion of flowers and colors and butterflies, the beautiful mature (but never ever "finished") beds.

Hey, flowerbabies...I miss you!
Here at the new house, I had to put most of my energy into the deck container plantings, because that's where we spend the most time, and because I sort of want to see what exists as is for a year season first half of the growing season.

Some of the deck containers

So far, it looks like that's a whole lot of garlic mustard (invasive NY weed), autumn olive (invasive NY shrub), honeysuckle (invasive NY shrub), dandelions, sneezeweed, and a tiny smattering of fun surprises (mostly daffodils and our amazing magnolia tree).

So, I planted a garden in the corner by the road, even though I can't see it from the house. It makes me happy to plant something that I'll see every time I come home, and that will add beauty to the neighborhood. Eventually.

Man I wish our address was Peepers Hollow!
This was at least THREE wheelbarrows full of sod that I dug up with a spade and pulled by hand (more lovely dark dirt to come and real edging). There's two false indigo, three veronicastrum, two sea hollies, three foxglove, and two black eyed susan vines that will eventually cover the tuteur in the middle. I can't help but think it looks like a pet cemetery. Going in this week are purple and rose salvia, orange and yellow hummingbird mint, purple coneflowers, and Moonbeam coreopsis. 
It is easy to forget that my gardens before were a product of at least TWELVE YEARS of sweat, muddy knees, and hours out in the garden. In the beginning, they weren't much bigger than my new little corner plot. They were just as sparse. It takes time for beds to fill in, for the trial and error of plant selection and soil amendment and watering and deer resistance to result in an explosion of color and textures.

It doesn't happen overnight. Kind of like healing from loss, you want it to just POOF be healed, but it takes time for things to take root and multiply and become the garden you want it to be. It takes time to heal from wounds of the heart and soul, and like my garden, there's always work to do, things to tweak, plants that don't work out and need to be replaced. And in this garden, rocks that need to be dug up and that are a pain in the tuchus, but that you can use as makeshift edging.

I'm excited for the opportunity to go through the process of creating all new garden spaces, little by little, and to see how they will evolve and grow over time.

Want to read more #Microblog Mondays? Go here and enjoy!

13 comments:

  1. I like your starter garden. I haven't been brave enough because I have low tolerance for dirt and sun. But--I do enjoy the outcome.

    Thanks for dropping by Pics and Posts (iamchandralynn.com)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I sweat a lot, so I just have to accept that until I shower I'm going to be utterly disgusting, but I do love the flowers when they spread and do their thing.

      Delete
  2. Your garden was beautiful and here’s to you starting new ones!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm finding that this yard is soooo different (different soil, different critters that pay ZERO attention to the "deer resistant" label on plants, etc) but it will be interesting to see how it all plays out as I learn this new space and accept the things that don't make it.

      Delete
  3. Your starter garden looks wonderful (both the containers and the corner). I can't wait to see pictures as it grows and matures! Your old garden is absolutely brilliant - looks like the kind of thing that should have been featured in a magazine. I don't doubt the new ones will be just as lovely with time. I also really love what you've got to say there about gardens and healing - so, so true.

    I've been watching "Big Dreams, Small Spaces" (British gardening) lately and it makes me want to go out and plant everywhere - even though I have a terrible grey thumb and plants, uh, don't usually prosper under my guidance. I've put in some coral bells and hostas in our (shady) backyard, so we'll see how that goes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's so hard to leave an established garden and see how sad and isolated all the new plants look this year. I'm a little nervous because my soil at the other house was just gorgeous with very little amending, and the soil here sort of reminds me of the Dust Bowl. Ooooh, that show sounds beautiful! I'll have to check that out if it's on Netflix or Hulu. Coral bells and hostas can be absolutely gorgeous. I love all the variety in leaf color in both, but especially the coral bells (and foamy bells too if you can get them, they have different leaves). Astilbe is really good in shade too, and adds more flower color, and when the flowers pass the dried plumes are still pretty. They just need watering. Hostas need nothing but safety from deer (deer make them into sad little celery stalk looking things), and coral bells just need some water but can be neglected more than astilbe. Good luck with your garden!

      Delete
  4. Is all that invasive weed what’s below your deck? That looks like a TON to try and pull.
    Your little starter garden is going to be fabulous! Is that still your property near the road? So wonderful you can grow something everyone can enjoy!
    And I am still so fascinated by the way you are able to grow beautiful layers and textures and make it look like it was there all along. It’s amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, the invasive weed is pretty much everywhere so I have to pick my battles, but we had to take down a ton of trees (some rotted and dangerous, some too close to the house, many ash and infested with ash borers, so dead or dying and not stable), and it actually did some of my work for me. I'm trying to look at it as an opportunity to do some woodland planting. Can't wait for summer to start so I have more time!

      We're technically on a corner, the house is not on the road (and it's really two dead end streets off a country road, so traffic is pretty sparse), but I've gotten to meet neighbors and had a few people say that they love having pretty flowers on the corner like that. This new space has over an acre of land, which is a little overwhelming, but one garden space at a time! :) Thanks for the garden compliments!

      Delete
  5. The metaphor with grief/healing is such an apt one.

    I'm going to plant some decorative kale tomorrow for the same reasons as your corner patch. It's going to make me happy every time I come home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Nothing, nothing happens overnight (except maybe some good sleep. Maybe.). Ooooh, decorative kale is beautiful! Is that like the ornamental cabbage that's all purple? That will be lovely. Here's to small happinesses!

      Delete
  6. Well said. We want to be healed instantly, but life (and gardens) don't work that way. I hope you get pleasure out of your little corner garden, and have fun planning out the rest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I am finding that this garden is definitely an exercise in adjusting expectations, accepting loss, and learning from experience... The dirt is really, really compact (but also sandy, weird) and filled with rocks. I can steal the rocks for edging, but I really, really should have amended the soil properly before planting everything. I'm doing a sort of hack job working in compost and manure-laden garden soil after the fact, but it's going to take a while to decompose and get the soil more fluffy. Also, the deer here are jerks and/or illiterate to what is supposed to be deer resistant, and they've stripped some things that they weren't supposed to. But, they have left some new things alone so I guess I just have to plant more of that. Sigh. Trial and error! It is still pretty though and the things that are thriving are really adding a lot of pretty color to an otherwise plain corner. :)

      Delete
  7. I was never much of a gardener but where we were there was a plot of earth that begged tending. I developed an affinity for tending. Since the move, nothing to dig my fingers into...it is having an impact.

    Love your post and your starter garden.

    ReplyDelete