Our new garden

When we first moved to our house, we were delighted to find a perennial garden in full bloom. As the years wore on however, the garden became overgrown and the grass and weeds encroached on it. We weren't even sure what kinds of plants were in the garden, as there was not a garden path. It was very inaccessible for weeding, watering, or any other kind of care. So we decided to start a new garden.

We ripped out all the plants, rented a rototiller, and went to work. However, plants still started popping up again! I built a simple screed out of 2x3 lumber and metal mesh, and sifted out all the weeds, roots, and remnants of plant matter. After that, we laid waste to the garden with Round-Up (even though I am opposed to Monsanto), waited a few days, and then spread a coating of Preen Garden Weed Preventer over the soil.

At this point, we were still waiting for a delivery of perennials from Spring Hill Nursery. We called them to check on the status, but they told us that a number of their greenhouses had collapsed under a heavy snow load, ruining their stock. We cancelled the order, and called a local garden center, Sargents Landscape Nursery. For $50 they planned our a garden and gave us $50 in merchandise, so it was a good deal. A few days before the plants came, I mixed in a half a ton of compost into the soil and a couple bags of peat moss into the soil. Then we waited. . .


The 3 cubic yards of mulch that were delivered were too much. We had about a yard left over which our neighbors were glad to cart away.


The perennials were delivered on Friday morning, forty-two of them in total. Ten additional shrubs and trees and five additional plants were delivered the next morning.



Sandy served as the supervisor, making sure that every plant was in its proper place.


My doctor says my back should straighten up in a few weeks. The next day, a few hours working without a shirt on reminded me what a sunburn feels like.


The finished product.


Our first garden worker emerges from a rose.


A small blue spruce grows next to one of our rose bushes.