I accidentally hit the publish button before writing any text. Perhaps that is fitting. There is too much to say. It is the one-year anniversary of my starting this garden blog. Spring has been stunning - at first too fast, then slower with cooler weather. I am struggling with being a gardener whose house is for sale. Do I put in new plants? Or do the minimum effort necessary to keep the garden looking good? It is sad to know I will have to leave a garden that I have created for the past eight-plus years. (Sometimes, however, the stress of not knowing gets to me and I just want to turn my back on the garden and start a new one, this time with more sun.)
The garden after many years is maturing to that full, more cottagey effect, with serendipity playing a large part in the garden's look. The columbine, below, self-seeded in profusion among flagstones.
Tiarella (foamflower) is adorable along the path edges and a long bloomer, though photos never do it justice.
The light transforms a mainly green scene.
Tulips fall from the sky. Usually they are broken and faded, and my husband and I have been known to disparage the "mess" created by poplars. But this one was a gift. I now understand why the tree is called a tulip popular.
Iris cristata has taken over a large swath of shady slope in just 2-3 years.
The stunner in my garden the last two weeks has been the grape-purple columbine of an unknown variety purchased from the farmer's market 2 years ago.
Azaleas are now past their peak, but here are a few photos from a week or so ago.
Japanese roof iris spreads beautifully.
Bugleweed seeds itself around, but I let it.
More of the purple columbine edging the path.
Green and gold is probably my favorite groundcover. Tough, easy, native, pretty.
Japanese kerria has graceful arching branches. It thrives in part shade and fits a woodland aesthetic. It is past its peak now, but was at its prime a few days ago.
12 comments :
We have so many of the same plants! Your garden really looks so inviting. When we had our last house on the market I kept planting the garden only to sell to a family that weren't "garden" people so it was all in vain.
Gosh, the light shining in on your garden in that one scene is heavenly! Tulip Poplar--we don't have those around here. Great photos and descriptions! You mention missing the Crabapples, and I envy your lush Azaleas. We have some here, but not as healthy and gorgeous as yours. Great post!
Karin, it is so hard to think that it's likely the next owners won't be garden people. We need more garden people! I have been dividing plants and will take some to work today - I am blessed to have a window looking out on a small courtyard and have gotten permission to garden there. Ha - little do they know my plans to transform the courtyard!
Beth, tulip poplars are kind of like weeds around here (if 70-80 foot tall trees can be weeds). But they are native and liked by butterflies.
Just love that woodland area...it's gorgeous!
Sheila, thank you for your first year of an uplifting, beautiful blog! I hope there will be a second year, if not more, about some garden or outdoor space that moves you to wonder. I also hope the house-showing is going well, and that keeping your laundry in the car (or was that from one of the comments?) has not frayed your peace of mind too much... Tiarella is one of my favorite flowers--a "discovery" from my VT days. The woods in the Green Mountains would be fragrant with it here and there. Enjoy transforming the courtyard at work!
It may be that your lovely gardens will be the thing that attracts the buyers, and will be cared for and loved still. And of course somewhere a new garden waits for YOU!
Sheila, Happy Anniversary and congrats on a marvelous blog. I so enjoy my visits...I felt as you do when I was moving from my garden, but I took along plants in pots that I had dug up or taken bits of so I could continue the garden I was leaving at the new house...
Bridget, I do like the wooded look. Good thing, because I'm surrounded by trees.
Stacy, I so appreciated your comments, especially coming at a time when I'm struggling to find the time to blog. You help inspire me to continue. The house drama continues, featuring nitpicky home-inspectors, panicky first-time buyers who backed out, a realtor addicted to HGTV, and white towels we're now secretly using.... I'm loving the courtyard at work. Birds have now begun bathing in the bird bath there. I must catch up on your blog very soon!
Linnie, yes, I do hope it's the garden that attracts buyers. I know it's just a small piece of land that I've cared for, but it's also so much more - all the life from the microorganisms in the soil to the odd insects I cannot name, to the birds I think of as friends of a sort. So I want to transfer the garden to a good caretaker. But the latest people to express interest seem more interested in building a garage...
Donna, I'm definitely going to take along as much in pots as I can. That's one reason I wish the house would sell soon, so I can get the transplants settled before the heat of summer! Thanks for all your support of my blog - you were my first encourager!
Sheila, congratulations on a year of wonderful blog posts. So sorry you will need to leave your garden. I hope the transition is quick and smooth, so you can successfully move some of your most treasured plants. I had to leave my first rose garden and eternally regret that I didn't have the time or opportunity to take some cuttings from some irreplaceable old garden roses. Good luck in your new home!
Thanks, Cathy and Steve! It would be easier if I knew where my new home is :) I do plan to take some cuttings and probably will move some of the smaller shrubs, e.g., native azaleas that are very young.
Beautiful photos this April! So many nice plants. I love tulip poplars, but it remains to see whether our babies will grow or not! they have been surprisingly slow.
~Julie in PA
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