Hello again. I know I have been silent for awhile but I have been doing other things, leaving my faithful followers to read the zillion other writers out in the blogsasphere (is that really a word? No probably not.) What have I been doing? Well gardening of course. I have become quite the gardener over the past ten years. Most people would call what I do landscaping but to me it is merely playing in the dirt.
My latest project is moving my plants from the front yard to the back yard. AEP, our power company, did me the favor of cutting down some trees in the back yard. If you have ever priced tree removal you would understand why I did not have this done years ago, especially given the fact the trees in question were mature and very large. In fact years ago AEP promised to cut these exact trees, but never followed through. I think they cut down the neighbors trees instead of mine. I was a bit irked since I had moved quite a few plants to accommodate their work crews but such is life. This time AEP showed up and cleared a fair amount of foliage.
I now have sun where I only had shade (lots and lots of shade) before. I also have a restricted number of plants I can plant in my yard due to the presence of not one, but two, Black Walnut trees. So I looked to the front yard to see what I could do with what I have. Most of my gardening is making do with what I have. The reason is budget, the result is creative gardening. I am really quite good at it, if I must say so myself.
The front yard was almost finished. I had designed a low maintenance, perennial landscape reminiscent of an English garden. I had a variety of, sedum, irises and day lilies planed in a defined asymmetrical bed located between two trees, one of which was surrounded by hostas. My yard is rather large and I have LOTS of trees. The design was not to everyone’s taste but it worked for me. It took five years to get the design finished, plants planted and edges edged. I do this myself (the gardening service never seems to show up) on a very limited budget. Finishing it was quite an accomplishment. I could have moved a few plants to the back and had two areas fully planted. I did not. I have been busy taking the entire front beds out. They will be replaced with grass.
A few of my neighbors have asked me what I am doing. I have received compliments on my flowers. I normally respond with a comment on how busy the street is, and how I now have a sunny spot in back to garden in. This is true. The street is busy and I do have back yard space now. What I do not say is that “low maintenance” does not mean “no maintenance” and I am tired of creating beauty for others. I am taking my beautiful flowers in the back yard, where I can do the maintenance needed and enjoy the fruits of my labor. The rest of the world can plant their own flowers or visit a public garden if they need a beauty fix.
Gardening in my front yard was never easy. The road I live on is quite busy. Gardening is messy, hot, dirty work when you are creating something out of nothing, especially when you are working with clay soil. I may not have always looked my best. I also have some physical handicaps that make this type of work difficult. When I can push through the pain, I will work for hours at a time. When I cannot, I am in bed. This is why I cannot do manual labor to earn money. I did once (didn’t know that did you?) I became unable to even drive to the office to maintain the plants. Cut short my career in landscape design, let me tell you. I am not on anyone’s time clock at my own home, so I can accommodate my own frailty without bothering anyone else. Plus I enjoy the work and enjoy creating beauty, even if it takes me a little longer.
The physical ailments I have are made worse by stress. I began to clean up my front yard in early spring. The flower beds were in bad shape since I was unable to do any significant fall maintenance due to a back problem. I began to experience severe stress and pain as a result of my activities. My physical problems were much worse when I gardened in my front yard then when I gardened in my back yard. The stress was even worse if I happened to glimpse a relative or someone I knew drive by while I was working. I finally listened to what my subconscious was telling me , I decided to take all of my flowers and only garden in my back yard.
Front yard plantings are really for other people. I do not sit in my front yard. I only see what is out there when I drive by my own house or look out my window. Landscaping beautifies a neighborhood, gives a house street appeal, and gives neighbors something to look at or enjoy. Front yard plantings, in my opinion, are really for other people to see. My plantings were a way to share beauty with my community and to improve our neighborhood. I no longer have the urge to share.
I see no reason to increase my stress levels to create beauty that I cannot maintain properly without severe stress and pain. I am under no obligation to create beauty for others. I do not need to share. I have been busy moving my flowers. They look spectacular in the back yard.
