My Piece of Heaven

My garden angel came today to work with me in my gardens.  She started working on them before I even moved in back in September 2010.  In fact, she and her husband convinced me to get permission to allow them to start trimming from the previous owner prior to my closing on the house.  At one time, this house had magnificent gardens, but then the elderly woman who had so lovingly tended them died.  Her husband didn't do as much, and after his death they received no attention for over a year while the heirs prepared the house for sale.  The summer of 2010 they mowed the lawn, and that was all.  No fertilizer, watering, or any other care.  Things were overgrown and full of weeds when I took possession.  Last year the work began.  I decided I wanted the area beside the patio to become a butterfly garden.  I wanted to plant clematis to grow on the privacy fence.  The lower half of the privacy fence was hidden behind overgrown bushes.  I took them out last summer and repainted the fence.  The rest of the area was full of ferns and hostas.   I transplanted the hostas, but didn't show any mercy to the ferns.  Gardeners passed on plants they were discarding.  Here is what that area looks like now: 

 

 

I'm eager to see the various flowers bloom this summer.  I planted one clematis at the end of last summer, and two more this spring.  You can see the one I planted last summer is beginning to climb.






Some of the hostas found a new home around this tree.  The neighbor's yard begins right beyond that tree. 

These are views of the garden under the family room window.  I'm scaling it back, since I can't see it.  A garden shed will eventually go to the left of the window.  You can see where the overgrown tree scraped the paint off the aluminum siding.  It will be repainted later this summer.  Some men from the church are going to do it for me.  They volunteered.

Last summer this garden in the back corner was overgrown with weeds.  You couldn't see the fences.  We cleared it out.  There are some peonies in there that didn't bloom last summer.  They have buds on them this year.   I wouldn't let my garden angel prune those lilac bushes yet because they are just getting ready to bloom.  They are in the shade, and are the last in the area to bloom. 

This is the side of the garage.  The iris are beautiful this year.  Last year they didn't bloom. 

 Here are my two raised garden beds.  I have planted seeds in the one at the left.  The one on the right has some strawberry plants and some herbs I planted in boxes I can move inside come winter.  I also have the tomatoes and peppers I started inside sitting in them today.  I'll wait a little longer to transplant them.  I spread mulch from yesterday's work day at the church between and behind them.  I planted berry bushes along the back fence last summer.  I am looking forward to enjoying blackberries and raspberries this summer.  The blueberries won't bear fruit this year.  I picked off the flowers so they would strengthen their root system this year. 

Daughter called, mad at staff and started swearing.  I told her I didn't need to listen to her swear and she could call back when she had calmed down.  She did, and apologized.  She continues to work hard to draw me into her drama, but it's not working. 

I mowed, edged, trimmed, weeded, hauled and spread mulch, and basically worked hard in the garden most of the day.  I'm sore and tired this evening, and very content.  I'm sitting on my patio listening to the wind blow in the trees, the birds sing, the neighbor kids play, and there is the sound of a lawn being mowed somewhere in the neighborhood.  My garden angel was down south for the winter, returning a couple of weeks ago.  She told me she can see a huge difference in me-- I'm much happier.  I agree.