Parting is such sweet sorrow...

The hardest thing about planning a move (for my wife and myself) has nothing to do with the house at all. A house is basically an empty shell which we make into a home by personal adaptations. A few knick-knacks, furniture and appliances define our lifestyle, but, removing them to another location leaves the old place an echoing, lifeless mold for the next inhabitants to decorate and maintain.

Not so with the garden...

There, we apply our lives to our true 'home' which has no walls, windows or doors; cultivating, pruning, transplanting in a mini-world of natural delights while in the company of buzzing honey bees and songbirds.

We prefer to work seperately, my wife and I; she gets the front yard while I tend the back. In this way, we both contribute our tastes and preferences in different ways; prodding the shrubs, trees, bushes and plants into a very personal reflection of ourselves.

Our connection to this Earth, in the most basic and personal way, is manifested in the gardens we create.

The following series of pics are my domain... the Back Yard:



The Columbine is my favourite flower of all. The bright colours and perfect pedals open in June and last well into the summer. Doing well in both deep shade or dappled sun, they seem to me like faerie heads bobbing on the summer breezes.



The next plant is commonly known as 'Stock'. The flower, having four distinct pink flowers, opens only in the evening or during cloudy days to release a powerful scent. Closing the pedals into a tight ball in direct sunlight protects the perfume from escaping, holding it until sundown to flood the back yard with sweetness.



Speaking of scents, I am particularly happy with the Sweet Grass I've nurtured into a thick mat. It is the 'bent over' grass in the foreground, looking much like a wave spilling onto the lawn.

The stalks are picked by pinching it off between forefinger and thumb as close to the roots as possible. Once gathered and dried, I use the blades for smudging after adding white sage. The aromatic smoke is unbelievably pleasant when sprinkled onto live coals.



In The eastern corner of the garden is this combination of Peonies, Salvia, Sweet William, Evening Primrose, Daisies and mint, all suspended to some degree, on a Fairy Vine.





Life in the yard... sun, cloud and rain replenish the garden...





...and we are only temporary denizens in this world of sensory delights, pouring our love into the soil and treasuring the results of our efforts.

To both my wife and myself, THIS is what we will miss most when we move. Our heart and soul went into these gardens. What you see in this post are only a smidgen of what one can find hidden among the foliage when the time is taken to look around my back yard.





Yesterdays photo shoot was interupted by a sudden thunderstorm and heavy downpour. Today, the sun is back and I'll take some more shots of those 'hard to find' nooks and crannies.

You're invited to my house. I can't grow a thing! Very nice garden you have there. What's your main secrets?

What an awesome thread, and very well written. Man! Your garden is beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

Very beautiful. Don't be sad. Just think of all the beauty you can add to the next place. I bet you already have a few things in mind.

ben91069;


What's your main secrets?

Let the plants decide on whether to flourish or self-terminate. I use no chemicals whatsoever... no pesticide, insecticide or, what is endearingly called 'plant food'. The main thing is just to weed constantly without damaging the roots of what is desired. I let certain common wildflowers intermingle with the flowerbeds, especially if the leaf or pedal color suits.

The best thing about culling is digging out unwanted weeds by their roots. The result is loosened soil more than 6' deep. That holds the moisture from recent rains by allowing it to soak deep.

There's also the use of stones. In the early spring, when frosts happen fairly regularly, the rocks retain the heat from the day before, protecting the roots of the plants around and under them.

Oh, yeah... and I only water from the rain barrel. If it runs out, the beds go dry. It may look ugly, but it sure gets the root systems hardier.

by lombozo


Man! Your garden is beautiful.

Thank you.

jensouth31


Just think of all the beauty you can add to the next place. I bet you already have a few things in mind.

Without a doubt!



The Sweet grass and the Stock are coming with us in pots. Plus, we'll take cuttings from our favourite bushes, etc.

We just can't leave it ALL behind.

I've just finished another round in the garden and took more shots.

Enjoy.

If anyone wants a name of something else they see, let me know and I'll get it to you.

Coral Belles;



Sweet Woodruff



Evening Primrose



Thyme



Aliens



Ferns



Turtle Plants (left of gazing ball)



Faerie in the Periwinkle



The season's first Cosmos



John Titor hiding in the bushes (dressed for the 1600's)

You should take some of the pink peonies bulbs with you too...

they're beautiful Mine are burgandy