9/07/2008

The Garden Grows

My new neighbour asked me the other day how the painting was coming along inside the house and I had to confess that other than the inside of the kitchen cabinets, nothing at all had been done. But that is only because we've been working on the outside instead. Do you remember this from July?


Well, a few weeks ago, it looked like this:


And now we have this:


Although the grape arbour was beautiful, there are only so many times you want to clean racoon poop off your deck. You could hear the rustle of the little scoundrels up there every evening, and what a mess they would make. Does anyone know if there's a such a thing as a grape vine that doesn't have fruit?

Only the maple tree, a couple of sedums and hostas, and a burning bush in the front were left. I've added a serviceberry tree and a lovely little red-twigged dogwood to the back. They're tiny yet, but they'll grow.


Years ago, a friend amused me greatly by confessing that she took the Reader's Digest Gardening in Canada to bed with her every evening. Now I must also confess a growing fascination, although I tend more towards the Marjorie Harris books myself. Within the next few years, I hope to fill that raised bed with trees, bushes, vines, perennials, etc. in soft soothing colours. This is my very first garden, in our very first house, and already I'm wishing I had more space! Maybe something like Sheila's terrific garden back on the West Coast?

6 comments:

  1. Do my eyes deceive me? Is this a NEW BLOG POST I see?

    Gasp!

    Beautiful! I love it! It's so dramatic too. Incredible change. No to mention the ease with which you throw off those plant names so casually....

    xo

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  2. You do realize that you aren't blogging near enough for my tastes, I hope?

    Where's the inside? What colour is it?

    What do your rooms look like?

    How did your furniture survive?

    Is S finding work?

    Is L happy?

    Are you happy?

    Do you have any animals? (I had a dream that you got some kind of animal and you were laughing about it last night)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Check this out:
    http://www.bijoupoodles.com/
    We put a deposit on a brown puppy, coming in January. Ha! Of course, we'll be on a diet of beans by then, so the puppy can feast on high protein gourmet puppy food.
    Working on a post about - gasp! - home schooling a Grade 8 student. Coming soon!
    xo
    Sandy

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  4. Gosh, is that a puppy I see digging up some lawn? And look! There he is chewing S's shoes!

    How cute is he/she/it! Richard swallowed his pen when he saw the cuteness of the pricetag, but he doesn't get out much!

    What name will you choose?

    You have a lot of friends named Sheila, I see from the comments.

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  5. Hi! I am a new Sheila. This is exciting blog. I visit often. You know many Sheilas. Do you have dog? What is dog like?

    Please visit me. I have xciting electronics blog in Southern Arachnidistan. We have much in common.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi! I'm another Sheila from Memphis, land of Elvis and the Egyptians!

    Just thought I'd check in and see if your garden has changed at all. Wait - are those dog-dug holes I see over there in the corner?

    Can't get my Skype up. It won't recognize my password. Richard thinks it's messed me up, so I am in the process of getting a new account. My iChat did the same thing. It's very annoying. I used to be so tech savvy. The pathos!

    ReplyDelete