Back to the Garden

Up until a few years ago, I spent very much of my "disposable" time in the garden.  On my days off it was not unusual for me to be out there from sunup to sundown. Then, my gardening gene seemed to have shut down. Maybe it was the droughts, excessive heat, or the voles that plagued my hostas, wiping out a whole bed in  just a few days. I also started to quilt more about that time, replacing one passion for another.

This past year my husband put a sprinkler system in the front yard. Wow! That has really made a difference.  No more lugging around heaving hoses, and rearranging them every hour.  Now with just the flip of a switch or two, I have zones I can water. We've also been blessed with a fair amount of rain this year.

As for the voles, our cat has eliminated over 50 - yes, 50! But the varmints continue to plague the hostas. Just this morning I found 6 mutilated hostas.  I have not given up yet.  I'm working on a new strategy and will give it another go in the fall or spring when I can find a couple of large varieties on sale.

 

 

So please, come into my garden. Enjoy the daylilies, phlox and big elephant ears. Sit on the glider in the back yard for a while and enjoy the peacefulness of the fern bed. I'm so glad to be back to the garden.

Back to the Garden

Garden of Weedin' - Ain't it the truth! I've spent the last 24 years planting, weeding, hauling mulch, digging and all other garden chores in our yard. Somehow, the passion has left me. I can remember when I would be out working in the yard before first light, and then in the evening have to turn on the outside lights to finish up the last little bit in the area I was working in. Perhaps I'm no longer enthusiastic about gardening because I've become so engrossed in quilting. Of course, years of drought and an onslaught of voles destroying collections of hostas probably has a great deal to do with it.

Still, I couldn't just let it all go, so outside I went yesterday and today. I was not loving the labor. It also seems to take a lot longer to get the garden chores done than it did years ago. Later today, after my shower and much needed ibuprofen, I took a stroll outside. Now I remember where that passion came from. The dogwoods have such a presence this time of year. Look at the Japanese Honeysuckle - what a joy!

The ajuuga, condytuft and creeping flox always help to brighten my spring garden. And the pansys will be giving off their splendid colors for several more weeks. And, of course, the whole area is alive with azaleas.
I felt the joy creep back in. Once again I was overwhelmed with the might of creation.

I'll definitely be out there working away again in the days to come. I'll pull weeds, fuss at the insects and be tickled when a new plant emerges or blooms begin to form. I won't work as quickly as I once did, and I won't get as much accomplished, but you can be sure that I'll be taking Ibuprofen aplenty!!