Finding healing in growing

One of the most persistent things that I missed while down south was the color green.  By those who don't know it is often assumed that because of the warm weather the south land is automatically green and lush all year long.  This is simply not true.  I discovered that, except in the mountains, where we lived green was prevalent in the spring and fall when the temperatures were more moderate and there was more frequent rainfall.  Otherwise the most prevalent color was brown.  How I longed to be home where, though you pay the price for all this green in sub-zero temperatures, long spring, summers, and autumns are lush and green.

When we got back these are the sights that greeted us. Because Ian had to have a big digger come in and put in a drain away from the house piles of dirt and stone sat by the former gardens and dared anyone who had the energy and imagination to restore that area back to its former beauty.

Enter the woman who is starved for green, hard work, and home!!!!!!

Little by little with lots of help the piles have been smoothed out. The weeds have been banished to the compost bins, and the perennials are being encouraged to flourish.

MK built this wall around the horse radish and tiger lilies and tucked the gladiolus bulbs into the earth to await their time for blooming.

On Mother's Day the fountain got it's annual dose of bubble solution and Layn got his chance to play in the water.  

Already the beds are free of weeds, there are piles of fresh topsoil and horse manure for renewing the earth, and the palates have been readied for the strawberry plants.

The hostas around the deck and the hydrangeas are looking lush and the garden furniture has been invitingly placed so that visitors to the garden can enjoy the view.

Even the early crops of lettuce and spinach in the cold frames have greened up and are inviting passersby to take a taste of the coming warm weather.

Once the ground dries out a little from the latest round of showers it will be time to tuck in seeds, mulch the walk-ways, and pull up a chair to watch things grow.