I like gardening...not to be confused with love. Truth be told, I get all my motivation from my older sister who is an amazing gardener. She makes it look so easy. Yes, she's one of those kind. My mother in law is also an inspiration because she's not afraid to experiment which is how my brain works best.
At times, I get overwhelmed when I think about my yard because it's so big that I don't really know where to start. It's not as big as the farm, but it's plenty of space for us. Most of the trees and shrubs are very mature so just keeping those pruned and neat is a challenge in itself.
A few years back I added some perennial garden space for me to play with as somewhat of an experiment. Remember, it was my inspiration for my very first post? (Don't ya just love how I just jumped right into blogging? No introduction at all, just here ya go world....this is how I start my day!) Oh, and by the way, that rose bush ended up dying so I hope that's not foreshadowing the life of this blog. Let's look at it as an opportunity for a new beginning! Back to green spaces.
I know that for many of us a large yard is a luxury but sometimes I wonder if a smaller space would be just as sufficient at meeting my need for some green space. During my trip to Tokyo a few years ago, I was surprised at the amount of green space in the city. They take advantage of every nook and cranny and it looks quite lovely amid the structure of the city. I love how Hello Sandwich captures the smaller gardens of Tokyo. (Thank you for allowing me to share your lovely images HS.)
With spring right around the corner here in Georgia, I'm curious how you approach gardening? Do you carefully plan out designs and layouts or are you a go with the flow kinda gardener who experiments season to season?
I usually sketch out what I envision and want for a space. During this time, I research what plants will grow best in that area. Is it shady? Is it sunny? After looking at these characteristics, I also consider what I like. Is the plant fragrant or colorful? Then, I hike it to my favorite garden center and stock up. I get those plants in the ground as quickly as I can lest they dry out (um - GA weather!) Hopefully at least 3/4 of what I bought will make it. Those that do not, well, I save all my receipts and containers. The garden center will exchange most items (except annuals/bulbs) that bit the dust. I am looking forward to moving some things around this year because frankly, I just do not like where they lie. A honeysuckle vine and a few other tough plants are going to make way for a bigger garden this year. I am also going to focus on getting a "screen" going on one side of my yard for privacy. Thinking arborvitae, leyland cypress, nandina, some grasses may do the trick, maybe even Japanese aucuba.
ReplyDeleteI used to be the gal with the "black thumb." I would buy that one plant that just looked great at the time of purchase. It usually ended up in the mulch pile. (Yes, I have one of those.) But I have learned that you have to buy more than one plant and you have to roll the dice. Some make it; some do not. I was determined a while back to be the proud owner of a daphne (24.99 each.) I bought three of them, and only one is alive today! You really have to be determined and dedicated. (And keep your receipts for all those that do bite the dust!)