What would Jane Austen Grow?

Wow!  I managed to have a sunny Saturday off.  Mitch and I had Good Friday and Saturday off together.  We really plowed ahead with the yard work and got a lot accomplished.  I was in my usual mode of trying to fill in every hole I saw with plants.  Mitch labored with soil prep and installing edging.  I went to work on Sunday and he did some more and then overseeded what was left of the lawn.  I still don’t know how the yard will look good enough for a garden tour.  Mitch wonders why I didn’t notice his “deer in the headlights look” when I told him about the tour.  It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t decided that this was the perfect opportunity to redo and fix everything that I thought was wrong with the garden.  Perfectionist, you mutter.  Overachiever?  Okay, I confess that is me. I’m always wanting to try something new, never satisfied.  Continually digging, the life of a serious gardener.

What did I accomplish and what did I learn?  I planted a lot of plants, but there was still room for more.  You have more room for plants if you plan in blooming sequence/layering.  In early spring the bleeding hearts appear, but they disappear by mid-summer and are overtaken by grasses and Echinaceas.  Tulips, daffodils and crocus pop out where later there will be Rudbeckias and more Echinacea.  Through barren Hydrangeas I can see the Anemone blanda and Tiarella in the background.  In another month, they will be hidden.  I love the fact that I am seeing so many worms everywhere in my yard and the soil is becoming crumbly in spots.  The seeds I have started, Nicotiana sylvestris and breadseed poppies are ready to transplant.  That is a project for one day this coming weekend.

This week, I am focusing on the pots, the garden and finishing my small plantings.  There are still 2 major plants I have yet to select.  They are weighing heavily on my mind. I am hoping that the “perfect” plant arrives in the nursery this week so I can be done with it.  I figure I have about 2 weeks and then I need to begin the finishing touches.  I’m hoping for some nice late evenings and warm weather helping all the plants to grow and fill in.  By July, it will be a jungle!  We’re shooting for perfection in June, however.  If things haven’t filled out, I will fill in with annual color and art.

In the end, I have to remember that it is not about impressing other people (although that is difficult for me to have to acknowledge) but rather creating a space of enjoyment for me and my husband.