My Garden's Second Spring
What 25 Years of Dreaming Looks Like In Bloom
I bought my first home at the age of 50 in August of 2023. Until then, I had been renting apartments, duplexes, and rooms in other people’s houses. No matter where I was living, I always found a way to have a little garden.
In apartments, I looked for large patios that faced south. In duplexes, I dug out garden beds in the backyard and landscaped with native plants and roses. I always had a container water garden with fish, too. (One former landlord, I later found out, loved the Belinda’s Dream rose I’d planted in her backyard so much, she told her future tenants, “Don’t touch that rose.” It made me smile when I found that out—after a package was accidentally delivered to that old address.)
When I rented a room in someone’s house, I gardened on the balcony and battled neighborhood squirrels and raccoons to keep anything alive. My only real success was with foxglove—haha!, they couldn’t eat it.
After dreaming of and planning my own garden for 25 years, I was more than ready to dive in once I moved into my new home. I started creating beds and planting right away. Last spring, my perennials were just getting started. I planted as much as I could in the fall, but I managed to get a few things into the ground in spring, too—including 12 different kinds of roses. Four came from the Antique Rose Emporium, and eight were from David Austin Roses.
This spring, I’ve been blown away by how healthy and full the David Austin roses are. My climbing roses especially have taken off and bloomed more than I ever expected—especially considering I planted them bare-root just a year ago.
Take a look at my Strawberry Hill rose this spring. She’s absolutely stunning, if I do say so myself! The bush is completely covered in blooms and lush, healthy leaves.
I give a lot of credit for this spring’s garden vigor to two things: cotton burr compost and Neptune’s Harvest liquid seaweed and fish emulsion fertilizer. My plants love both. For someone like me who needs to keep costs down and stay organic, these are great go-to products for flowers, fruits, and veggies.
I do wonder if I’ve taken on a bit too much this spring. Last year, I got lucky—our summer wasn’t too extreme. I bought shade cloth just in case, but I never had to use it. I’m glad I have it, though figuring out how to hang it while still being able to get to the garage through the back door will be another puzzle to solve. I still have water plants coming at the end of the month.
With a new puppy arriving in three weeks, I know I have a tendency to overload my plate with responsibilities. But I think it’ll all be okay. I just need to remember to stay in the moment and enjoy my beautiful garden—right here, right now. Enjoy a few more images from my garden this week.
