I 'skipped school' on Friday - needing to recharge my 'batteries' from the 30 day post-holiday work marathon.
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Having fun... (woohoo!)
(from the creative minds at Microsoft Clip art!) |
After finally getting my Garden Blogosphere 'mojo' back, I had been thinking about 2012 gardening. I pulled out my large stack of past issues of gardening magazines, especially
Fine Gardening and
Garden Gate. ... What was I missing? What was going to get me to 'the next level' of garden nirvana? What makes me want to be a 'grown up' gardener? ... BIGGER gardens and MORE plants!! ...
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| Autumn 2011 - The 'Cottage' Garden |
Now, don't get me wrong. I love the progress I've made so far, but it feels 'slow'. Looking through a photo montage of 2011, the Spring photos in particular looked "rough" - to say the least. Bushes were small, dandelions were prolific and perennials were few and far between. As I looked month-over-month, there was hope. I
had checked off quite a few 'wish list' plants off the list:
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| Amsonia Hubrichtii (Blue Star) |
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| "May Breeze" Phlox divaricata |
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| "New Wave" Lillium |
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| "Petite Snow" Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii "Monite") |
There was a little bit of a prevailing "white" bloom theme going on, but the trim of the house is white - and I like how the color reverberates around the gardens. Then again, there was the Bugbane ('Actaea Ramosa "Brunette"), the Bee Balm ("Marshall's Delight" Monarda) and the "Arabian Nights" Dahlia. Things weren't totally monotonous.
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"Arabian Nights" Dahlia
(Bulbs are snugged up in the dry garage - waiting for 2012) |
Perhaps, in the cold of January, my "eyes could be bigger than my garden 'might'" - but I really want
more garden,
more sanctuary and
more visual privacy. My biggest recommendation to anyone that is starting from scratch -- you can
never plant bushes and trees soon enough! (and they cannot grow fast enough) There is also no such thing as 'too many' plants - always, always, always buy a minimum of (3) of the same plants - more, if you can (in odd numbers of course, if you are going to co-locate them).
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One of this year's projects - expand the front garden
(Sketches are in 'development'...) |
First priority is to 'fill' the many large voids in the existing gardens with more perennials. As I surf your garden blogs, I admire the variety and the 'bounty' within your gardens. That is what I aspire to - mature, bountiful gardens with texture and variety. So - back to the drawing board, my handy-dandy garden journal (II) and visiting my garden blog friends.
(One happy note, looking back over previous years of photos - early March is when things start popping out of the ground. And THAT is not so far away!)
Pacem in paradiso...
© All content & photography by Shyrlene Foster at The Bunnies Buffet (
unless noted)
