I feel like singing “started from the bottom but we here”. Honestly we started from the bottom in this garden. We were all working together tonight and Holden was complaining and Gabe and I immediately went into teach/talk mode. You know the talk that starts out with “I remember when”……
Well I remember when we moved in and the grass was completely dead, there was a dead magnolia and a half dead crepe myrtle. There was no fence and a empty lot behind us. Palmetto Palms came up into the yard and we could not even see that there was a River Birch in the yard. Hot mess. That’s what my dream garden was a hot overgrown mess. However it was a beautiful home in a neighborhood I adored. I knew I was going to slowly overtime change this space.
August is deathcon hot in the Summer. There isn’t enough honey and whiskey to keep us cool. The sweat runs like a river and you just have to dig in and think of the future. That’s exactly what me and my at the time 7th grader did. We pulled out all the palms and scratched our entire bodies in the process. We trimmed the tree that was covered in vines and looked like it had never had a haircut. We pulled the dead Magnolia out and trimmed the crepe myrtle and planted it on the side of the house. Next came a fence b/c we had Lola and let’s just say that sister will chase squirrels for miles. After the fence we rested. I was beat and tired and had a 7month old baby to care for and a preteen. My rest didn’t last long b/c I had a baby with anxiety who cried and only gave us some relief if we were outside walking or on the back porch. So we baked for 2 more months in the sun and while I kept my baby from non-stop crying I starting planning. Over that Winter and following Spring shrubs went in along the back fence. I intentionally planted a weed tree (Pink Mimosa). Then my neighbor gave me a Maple and we added another River Birch.
Always always start with your foundation plants. The major purchases like trees and shrubs should go in first. Just make sure you are okay with the final height of the trees and that the shade they create won’t affect your future garden. OY! Pot calling the Kettle black moment, Preaching to the choir kinda deal. I did not take into account the empty lot would be full of trees one day. Now my garden is becoming to shady and I know next year I have to remove a tree. Or at least I have to call someone and have them remove a tree. The Maple has to go my friends. I know I hate seeing trees taken down also, but I love my raised beds and I am not willing to give them up. After you have your foundation plantings in you can start picking out mid level plantings like small specimen trees and large perennials.
Planning on having a vegetable garden? Well plan ahead. Don’t plant large tree near your vegetable garden location. Vegetable require 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. This will allow for optimal growth and production.
This journey has been long and so detailed I’ll be sure to share all the mistakes and all the great ideas we have had. We have been working on this space since 2011 and just typing that blows my mind. Gardens are a long journey and a commitment of time. In an effort to share more of the garden I will be featuring my garden in weekly updates with you.