Plantings

The warm weather makes getting dirty and sweating irresistible, two things I have loved as long as I can remember and with nurseries overflowing with herbs, veggies, and perennials, I couldn't handle it anymore.... I have to add some to my backyard. With my neighbors having moved, after finishing nursing school, I was sad but happy entertaining the thought of having plants freely growing were I can tend and gaze at them outside my door. I had attempted planting a few echinacea, one of my favorite perennials, but Sampson, the K-9 resident slowly put an end that with his accurate urinary aiming capabilities. However, once I decided to make a plant bed in the backyard, I had the hardest time deciding what to put in it and how to go about it. Slowly over a few weeks, I played with dimensions and what plants to put where, never really deciding one way or the other.

Finally, I woke up Sunday morning, my first day off in weeks, and decided to do it. If it was a successful venture or it flopped, either way, I tried. After wandering around Lowe's hardware store I finally decided on the size: 6' long x 2' wide. I bought three 4" x 4" x 6' pieces, cut one piece into three 2' long pieces, and borrowed a shovel to break up the earth. The day was overcast and rain from the tropical storm that had wet the earth and was sprinkling here and there. It was the perfect day to make a bed.

I quickly got to work, before I could talk myself out of it, something I seem to easily be able to do and almost had accomplished while at the hardware store, and in about 2 hours I had broken up the earth, arranged, and planted to plants. I stepped back and admired my hard work, gleaming with pride. I couldn't walk away from my new accomplishment and was eager with anticipation to watch the plants grow and flourish, wishing I had done it when I first moved in.... thinking of how large the plants would be now.

However, I will only have the next year, or at least through spring semester, to watch the plants grow and they have been pleasant friend keeping Karza and I company while we enjoy the summer sunsets.



The bed consists of, from left to right back: lavendar, primadona echinacea, hyacinth bean, snow white echinacea, rosemary; from left to right front: creeping rasberry, garlic chives, strawberry, chives, and a creeping groundcover I can't remember the name of.