Rediscovering My Garden

I used to love gardening. Then I started my masters program and an adoption from China, and I gave up my time in the garden. That didn't really mean that my yard went to pot, however. I've always had a gardening service and enough perennials to keep things looking okay. I just hadn't done much out there in the past eight years. Eight years!

The last gardening project I was involved with was when Michael and I planted three or four heirloom tomato plants in containers a few weeks before his diagnosis. I really don't remember the outcome of that effort as things got a little crazy after that.

The past three summers I just couldn't figure out how to do anything with such a little one. I was just happy to have the lawn mowed, and the weeds under control - all done by my gardener. However, last summer I realized that two of my trees had matured to the point where they were competing for space, and one of them needed to go. That finally happened a few weeks ago. With that I had to think about with what to replace the tree (a hydrangea), and that decision motivated me to consider what to do with some other bare spaces in the planters.

One of the prettiest summers I can recall in my garden way back when was when I sprinkled a lot of wildflower seeds in the planters. The results were just amazing. So that's what I've done again in hopes of having lots of color, and flowers that Michaela can pick. She helped me distribute the seeds, and she helps me water the ground every other day.

But our biggest effort was inspired by a friend who gave us a bare-root thornless raspberry bush. In going to the home improvement center to purchase a container and some soil for that, we also came home with a strawberry pot and strawberry plants. After planting them, I ordered an heirloom tomato plant, pole beans, and carrots. Today we prepared three more containers for planting, and put our new veggies in the soil. I'm thinking about purchasing two blueberry bushes next weekend, too. Michaela loves berries, and when she visits my sister's house she really loves to eat them right out of the garden.

It has been quite a while since I've been in a position to take the time to care for anything other than myself and Michaela. But I think that we are now ready to do this type of gardening together, and that we'll enjoy all its benefits in the warm months ahead.