how does your garden grow?

Back when I published this post about our backyard patio project last summer, I mentioned the new garden bed. We built the bed by piling up the dirt excavated from the patio area, and outlining the area with cement landscaping blocks.

I hadn't taken any photos of the area because I considered it to be unfinished; luckily, the mister decided to take some photos of his own, because in retrospect, the new garden beds are pretty attractive, I think. Even unfinished. (All of these photos are from last summer.)

Of course, now they could use a good weeding, but last year's plants are coming back, which makes me incredibly happy. I bought most of them as end-of-summer clearance last September. Cannas, dahlias, foxgloves, heather, etc. . . . I don't think I paid more than six bucks for any of them. And I'm pretty sure the three heather plants cost under a dollar each. (I wish I could remember the name of the bright red stems there . . . )

The chair is part of a matching set of cedar Adirondack chairs I painted pool blue last summer. The birdhouses (also cedar) were painted to match. Black Russian tomatoes fill that pot in the foreground. This summer, it'll be garlic and beans instead.

So that's the beginning! There are about $150 worth of cement landscape blocks in this project, another $100 in plants. The little path was made using pavers from the old patio, so those were free this time around, as was what mulch you can see in the photos (branches and clippings chopped up in a wood chipper). Not a bad deal for something so transformative.

I'll post some more photos this spring and summer as things progress; a major weeding is in order, and some mulch for sure, but I'll wait and see whether any plants need to be added, moved, or replaced. So . . . what's going on in your yard this spring?


(p.s. you can make these photos bigger by clicking on them . . . but you probably knew that!)