Winter is one my favorite times of the year for gardening, believe it or not. I know it’s still cold out but it’s not what you think, just hear me out…I’m sitting inside, cozy and warm, dreaming and planning in preparation for the upcoming season. I’m working on plans for clients and have also created something special, just for you, so be sure to scroll through to the end!
Today I’m organizing my thoughts and notes for a renovation plan for a garden that has grown well over the years. In gardening terms we say it has great bones. There is a large brick patio surrounded by mature planting beds that are filled with a mix of small trees, shrubs and perennials. It holds its own all year: in winter there is the framework of the woody plants along with a few evergreens and the hardscaping; trees begin to flower in spring along with a few early flowering perennials and bulbs; summer is full of early, mid and late flowering plants and fall is wonderful with colorful foliage, grasses and late flowering perennials. It manages to be both fairly private and allowing glimpses to passers by, in the best way.
Even with all of this going for it, the garden still has some issues, made even more apparent by the owner’s schedule…full of travel, entertaining and grandchildren. So when she is home, she wants to relax with an option to putter in the garden vs being a slave to its care.
We’ve discussed areas to renovate and update along with the problems, I know what she wants and she is giving me free rein to come up with the plan to keep weeds at bay while keeping the garden filled with color and interest. No small feat…but I am up for the challenge! Frankly, I’m in heaven deciding how to advantageously rearrange what is already growing in the garden and choosing key plants to add that will keep it all easy to care for.
I’m a little ahead of the game with some changes that were already made last season; pruning and removing a few overgrown and unhappy shrubs; pruning a few small trees; digging out weeds that had invaded the beds; eliminating a few perennials that had happily become weeds…and I also have notes taken throughout the growing season to review now. Now that it’s time to plan.
Maybe this is the year to finally tackle some of the projects you’ve been dreaming of for your outdoor space, be it a garden, curb appeal dreams or a backyard that about to become your oasis.
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