I was on a domestic tear this past weekend, particularly outside. Admittedly, it was necessary. I haven't worked in the garden, really worked, for a few years. I'd let the perennials -- and the weeds -- do their thing. But I had an urge to actively engage with my "green space" and I attacked it with a will. I dug up of dying shrubs, icky plants, and aggressive weeds, and tossed them into our compost pile. I transplanted hollyhocks, and other such perennials, that had grown too large.
And then I started planting anew. My beloved poppies are once again gracing the space in front of our stone wall.
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The "traditional" orange poppy
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This year I added white to the mix
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| An unexpected pink poppy in a pot marked "orange". Love the serendipity of this |
I planted annuals in the spaces "between". One of my goals this summer is to eat at our patio table more often and I'd like to enjoy the beauty of our big pine trees and the splashes of color from snapdragons, verbena, and other such summer flowers.
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| Some of the annuals, pre-planting |
I also planted a modest vegetable / herb garden.
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| My marigolds "guards" |
We'll have lots of fresh basil, cilantro and parsley for pestos and flavor, lettuce and tomatoes for salads and, if everything goes right, colorful carrots later in the summer. It's a very active process to plant a garden. In the beginning. And then you pray for gentle rains and warm sunshine. You hope bees visit, but not hungry bugs. You cross your fingers that everything takes hold and grows in your garden, except for weeds.
Hope springs eternal.
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