A gardener's garden (2007-06-11)

(Originally posted on Monday, 11 June 2007.)

I spent the better part of my day off today (before Giggles got home from school) working in the garden. It was rather overgrown with weeds – or in most cases, some of the perennials I had put in a year or two ago turned out to be very invasive (either by root or self-seeding) and were taking over several of the beds. So I’ve spent the past couple of Saturday mornings pulling unwanted plants, diving and moving a few others, mulching around the wanted plants to keep weeds down, and generally getting things into shape.

As I was working, a lady walked past. She stopped to ask, “Is this your garden?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“I’ve been admiring it for the past two years,” she continued. “It’s very lovely.

Two years ago is when I started to put in the raised beds, small patio and deck. It’s a four-phase yard plan, and phase three is almost done, though phases one and two – the raised beds and patio area – need some maintenance, especially the front which needed work last year and I didn’t get to it!

I thanked her and said it still needed more work.

“Oh, but this is one of the nicest gardens around,” she said. “It looks like a real gardener’s garden – there’s always something new happening. The others all look like landscaping, but this looks like a real garden.”

And it’s true. A lot of the other yards have that manicured look of perfection, where everything is in its place, not a weed ever dares show its face, and things just sit there – mostly unused. But mine is a work in progress, and even the parts that are done aren’t really done – there’s always something to take out or put in to make it look better, and new ways to use the small space I have. Which means that sometimes it’s a bit messy, with pots and bags of dirt and hoses and tools scattered here and there. But eventually the spring work will get done, things will be cleaned up a bit, and I’ll get down to the business of watering, harvesting (my few tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflowers, and herbs) and thinking about what I’d like to do next.