The Making of a Garden

Last year at this time, while we had possession of our house, we hadn't yet moved in. We were busy painting all the walls, installing a dishwasher, and replacing the floors. There was so much work going on inside, that we didn't bother to do anything with the yard. It did help that a month after moving in, I lost my job and we had no money to do anything outside either... but that's another story.

This year however, with the early warm weather, I got the itch to start a garden. I started with this:

This is hanging just outside the patio doors and it contains: Rosemary, Peppermint, and Oregano.
I have another hanging basket shown here:

It has two basil plants (love basil) and dill. I still have to find somewhere with a lot of sun to hang it. Next to that, is a HUGE chive plant that D's mom divided from her garden. That is going to be lovely in sour cream on potatoes from the bbq... mmmmmm. And in the big green metal pot is a hazel tree that D liked. That pot does not drain, so hopefully that tree can swim. Actually I think we may have to dig that tree out and create drainage in the bottom or at least put more plants in there to use up some of that water.

And finally the pièce de résistance, my little shade garden:

It contains hostas and daylilies from D's mom's garden, a couple hostas and an astilbe from my neighbour, T's, garden that didn't grow in hers because her yard is full sun. The rocks around the edge are ones that I dug up while making this garden (no wonder the grass wasn't growing), I hope to slowly replace those stones with ones from the cottage.

Speaking of the cottage, something I haven't done in a while, here is a clipping from my Grandma's Scrapbook:

Results & Roses
Via Aunt Grace Keller

The man who wants a garden fair,
Or small, or very big.
With flowers growing here and there
Must bend his back, and dig.
The things are mighty few on earth
That wishes can attain
Whate’er we want of any worth
We’ve go to work, to gain.
It matters not what good you seek
It’s secret here reposes:
You’ve got to dig from week to week
To get results, – or roses.