Heidi looking pensive. The big guy and I had a long talk last night. He always reads my blog which is helpful because I often can't articulate what's going on inside my head, it only comes out when I write it down. He pointed out how negative I can be on my blog which is true. He asked why I don't write about the good things. To my mind the good things aren't a problem and I write to sort out problems, so my writing is heavy on the negative side, although he says I am heavy on the negative side in real life too. I do know that I have many wonderful things in my life and I am thankful for that.
I'm planning on working in the garden all day today. I enlarged my front flower bed this spring and I've been working on that, planting and moving plants, digging up sod and trying to decide what I want growing there. Gardening takes times so it will be a few years before the front garden has filled in to what I imagine I want it to look like in my mind.
This is how I would like my front garden to look. Of course the reality is that I live in a northern city with a short summer season and many perennials don't survive, but the ones that do survive, I can plant multiples of and I'm starting to do that.
Last fall I planted allium and they've all come up. This fall I'm going to plant more bulbs. I love allium, fritillaria, hyacinths and tulips. This spring I planted sunflowers for Jack, short ones and the really tall ones so that he can be amazed by them. Ferns and hostas do surprisingly well here and I keep moving around the ones that volunteer themselves. I have a pulmonaria which reminds me of my mum which I'll divide up and encourage. This year I bought myself a peony, same thing, reminds me of my mum. One of my favorite flowers is daisies and I'm trying to start some from seed this year. You can buy daisies, and I have, but none of them are as tall as I want and the seeds supposedly are. We'll see.
When we first moved to the house I planted a couple of hydrangea bushes but they struggle every year so I'll cut them back hard. Dogwood does much better here and the red twigs are beautiful in the snow all winter. I have one I can move. Nine bark also does very well here and I love the bright green foliage. I also had a clematis that was hidden behind a huge dogwood, so I dug that up and moved it to where I can see it.
When mum was alive we always spent time in the garden. I think it's where she was happiest. I know I'm happy in my garden
Gardens are like life. There is the garden you imagine and the garden that you can actually have, dependent on your climate, soil and time. Time and effort are required for the garden I want. I can do that.
Hello, sweet lady.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary. A bit of a kerfuffle today with my daughter.
DeleteHello P/L! So you'll be posting here from now on?
ReplyDeleteYep
DeleteJust discovered your blog via Ms. Moon's blog! Read the previous entries and decided to follow you!
ReplyDeleteI can identify a bit with what you are dealing with ... Glad you can be there for Jack!