Returning to my Roots

When we left our home and my fabulous flower gardens , I turned my back on gardening forever.  At least that was the plan.  In retrospect I think I was fearful that if I did any gardening right away I'd be filled with remorse at having parted from my beloved gardens.  

Last year Left Brain took on the task of constructing an outdoor storage shed in the kids back yard. This year his project was to scrape and paint the trim on their house

Our daughter started buying some plants for the perimeter of the shed; however, with both of them working and raising two fabulous daughters, planting is often pushed to the back burner.

 Since Left Brain was busy with his painting project,  I dug out the gloves I keep in the geocache bag and soon found myself digging away in the dirt creating some flower beds.

In about three hours I had managed to dig out a garden bed about two feet deep around the shed and put in the shrubs and plants that had waiting for their new homes.  Left Brain helped by hauling over bags of mulch we found here and there and raking the dirt from the lawn.

Our daughter was pleasantly surprised when she returned home from work to see everything in the ground and mulched.  I took the chance that she would approve of their locations and if not, well my motto is "you can always move it".  To me the crucial factor was to get them out of the pots and into the ground so they could thrive.

the west side awaits inspiration

Now the fever has been rekindled and I found myself clearing weeds from the west side of the house and wondering what could possibly go in there.

It finally clicked in my brain that this was a golden opportunity for me.  

I love to design and start new gardens, but not maintain them.  

Here was my chance to create something new and then drive way and let them deal with the weeding.  Sweeeet.

My other favorite part of gardening is the shopping for plants and hardscape.  After getting my daughter's assurance that she trusted my judgement completely, I headed out with my credit card in hand in search of new treasures.

the trellis on the side of the shed

The back of the shed just begged for a trellis and clematis, so I was thrilled when I spotted this fun little guy hiding in the dark back corner of Lowe's.  

He started out black but with a can of hammered metal bronze plant he dazzles with his new look.  

a view of the back of the shed and the west side of the house

For the west side of the shed I'm thinking a bush clematis for the standing trellis she inherited from my gardens of the past.  It's been fun seeing all my favorite garden art objects resurface in their new home.

Since the thin walls of the shed would not hold the weight of her window boxes, I bought four shorter shepherds hooks and cable tied the boxes to them to create a free standing arrangement.  Eventually the shrubs will cover their bowed legs.

the front of the garden shed with the plants installed and window boxes up

The narrow part that runs between the house and the shed is shady and a favorite place for the dog to run through, so perhaps I could use the bricks that I found to fashion a little pathway.

Next mission:  the west side of the house!

Long Live the Queen of Gardening