I grew up with a mother who, on her off time, was passionate about her garden. So, it’s no surprise that I also love to garden. I haven’t always had much space to garden but threw myself into it with gusto, nonetheless.
A few years ago I moved back to the city of my birth and regularly get to garden with Mom in her huge yard. I’m not generally an envious person, but I do love her yard. She has something I lack; space.
Gardening With Unlimited Space
Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful I have a small yard to work in but I have about exhausted every available space for plantings. Mom on the other hand has a generous yard.
My folks bought the property for their dream home over thirty years ago. At the time the lot was completely denuded with the exception of a few ponderosa pines. Mom, a master gardener quickly changed all that.
She bought, in bulk, one hundred trees and shrubs and set to work creating her own personal Shangri-La. At the forefront of the house a stand of silver birches welcomes guests to the front gardens that she created from scratch. The front of the house is a fairy traditional landscape filled with Pacific Northwest staples such as azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese maples and other perennials residing in berms and beds she built herself.
The Landscape Today
One side of the yard that runs half the length of a football field is privacy screened with some of the aforementioned one hundred trees and shrubs from yews to blue spruce and purple leaf plum, Eastern redbud, dogwood, ginkgo, sugar maple and birch, to name a few.
The backyard is comprised of several gardens. There is a large veggie and fruit garden, rose garden, sunken garden, and the back forty which is a naturalized grassy area that is surrounded by towering trees.
When I visit my folks, we like to sit on their back deck and watch the critters strolling through or nibbling on vegetation. Their property is like a wildlife park in that respect and is completely private for both human and animal alike.
So I’m not saying I’m green with envy, but I do wish I had more space to play in. Of course, the up side is I can go to this park any day of the week, welcomed with open arms”¦ as long as I’m ready to pitch in and work in the yard, that is.
