This is the backyard of the house we sold last summer.

That house was never going to be what we wanted in the end. We knew that going in to it from the very beginning. That house was always a stepping stone to something else but now as spring is coming and it’s the last place we officially called home … there are a few freedoms I’m missing.

Gardening.

Planting flowers in beds and pots, opening the backdoor and watching the kids play on the swing set or trampoline.

I’m not sad or regretting where we are – but I feel like we’re so ready for what’s next and learning to have patience before we get there is tough.

I’m not gonna lie.

Patience. Kind-of. Sucks.

I haven’t been blogging my way through the actual build of the new house for a myriad of reasons but it’s to the point of planning a landscape and I’m getting pretty darn excited.

Here’s a few things we’ll see in our yard pretty soon – and in full color next spring:

Photo credit for Dawn Redwood.

Also some lovely tall grasses, hydrangeas and some other fun stuff. What’s your favorite plant in your landscape? Anything I should know about planning one?

Got any good suggestions for a miniature tree near a house? Right now we’re considering the Bloodgood Japanese Maple but I’m not a huge fan of those kinds of little trees. I’d something less predictable. More worth it.

It was fun, yes. Of course we made the huge piles every year to play in. That was always the best part.

But can I just say how much I REALLY love not having to deal with that at all this year? Not even having to SEE that amount of leaves is calming in a way I never thought possible.

Our current yard (whom we are cheating so wonderfully on with you, old yard) is pretty much dirt. A whole lot of dirt. The black kind. The kind that is the messiest, which means the best to small people who love to get dirty.

So there you have it. I’m saying goodbye to you’re Oaks and your Maple’s and my Apple’s, Pear’s and Peaches.

I hope you’re enjoying the new rituals and rhythms of the family who has taken the task of making your jacket of colors their very own pile of fun.

Because your leaves of this season are the last I’ll ever see. The last thing that had to fall away before we really left you. Before it was final.

Goodbye.

I am in love with Poppies. They’re one of the flowers that takes my breath away instantly. Most flowers have that affect in a bouquet. I love getting bunches of beautiful color but Poppies are one of the few that are stunning all on their own, in my opinion.

For instance, a rose is not. It’s covered in greenery that’s too dark for my taste and thorns. The actual shape of a rose isn’t very pleasing to me, nor is the scent. I don’t “get” roses as one of the most over used flowers around, I don’t really enjoy them. They don’t feel special. The feel over worked.

Lily of the valley is my all-time favorite flower. For a couple of reasons: The dainty bell shaped flowers that gather on a stem; almost too small but supported by leaves that hug the delicate nature of the flower as it poisons the air with it’s fragrance. I mean that in a really great way. It releases it’s perfume in a lovely little cloud of invisibility and if you walk by a patch of the flower you’re all of a sudden surrounded in this lush smell, the tickling of your senses.

Poppies on the other hand are just so stunning. They grow in a field behind our house – and you’d never know they were there unless you first wade through the tall grasses filled with other wild flowers, weeds and animal burrows.

But then, out of nowhere, erupts this orange blossom. Standing tall. Being proud to be different.

And I literally cannot take it. I gasp. Every single time.

They have these pods before they bloom which look soft and almost fluffy and then it blooms into this silk petal with a satin shine. And the best part ever? The inside. The pollen. It’s dark purple and stains. It’s like powder and if you tip the flower over it’ll sprinkle like a fairy.

So we took a few for our yard.

And every time I look out side to see if they’re still there, I giggle.

I have a secret in my yard. A secret just for me.

This year we have a bounty of strawberries. Be still my heart.

And she had the honor of eating the very first … our little way of “Christening” the season with intentions of eating well, being full of life and reaching a satisfaction within.

Cheers!

Pears

Peaches

Baby Lettuce peeking through the soil. Welcome, Spring, your growth and promise of a bounty excites me.

You can see more Wordless Wednesday Awesomeness at 5 Minutes for Mom.

I had no idea this would happen. I had no plan for how to use all of this. Had never canned in my life, had a 4 month old baby and was a stay at home mom for the first time in my life. This was my introduction to gardening. My first year was the best year so far. I’ve had gardens every year, save for last year, and now I have wonderful garden boxes to keep pests away.

This year we added fruit to the mix. And more pollenating flowers for the bees. Which brings me to this:

I think I’m going to be a bee keeper. Yup. I’m just starting the research and fascination with them, I’ve gotten a few books that delve into this more and more and it just sounds like fun. We could make our own honey – and apparently have way more than we need, and then we could use the beeswax for all kinds of things.

Not sure if I can make good on this endeavor anymore this year, but next year I think I’ll be a very happy hive-host.

They’re DONE!!!
I got the idea here from the trusty Pioneer Woman. Love that site. Anyway … I emailed my dad after I read it on her site and said something like, PLEASE HELP ME! Only I’m sure I sounded less desperate.
It took us 2 afternoons – we built the first two in front in one day and the last one, behind another. I used all repurposed wood we had lying around so this project cost me 1 1/2 box of screws. I am not lying.
This is what I planted:
First two boxes in front are veggies
= Eggplant
= 4 different varieties of tomato
= 2 different varieties of lettuce
= purple pepper
= banana pepper
= summer squash
= yellow beans
The box in the back is “Jessica’s Garden” and she got to pick out her own plant – a strawberry one, then we planted some $1 packs of wildflowers from Target and some Sunflowers from the farmers market.
I recently picked up this book and am learning a TON more about planting – I’m planning on doing some staggering this year for season-round crops. And I might try some trellises for heavier fruits (melons) … lots to learn, this is so much fun!