Simplicity Gardening

This past Saturday, I did some ground-breaking gardening.  We (I should say my husband), over the course of a few months, cut down the trees and bushes on this front strip and pulled out the roots. Why did we do this?  Well, they were labor intensive trees bushes, and they did not earn their keep (provide food)--or enough beauty..  The decorative cherry was sending out water shoots all over the yard and getting into the garden bed, even traveling almost up to our house!  It was a menace of a tree..but a very pretty one this time of year (lots of beautiful pink blossoms)  :(  I have mixed feelings about its removal, but ultimately I think it was a good decision.

So, finally we were at a stage where we could do a little planting.

I wasn't sure of what to do with this strip. My husband wanted it as simple as possible..just plant grass, but I really wanted to gardening space.  so, what to put there.  Following principles of "simplicity", I decided to start with what we already had, and to my surprise, it turned out to be quite adequate.

From the backyard, in a crowded space, I had 7 blueberry bushes, which I moved up to this strip and gave them more space, and they will get more sun too.  We also had 3 rose bushes that were in the grass near the red fence, making a mowing navigational challenge, so I moved them as well.  We also had rosemary in the back that wasn't really in the best spot, a lilac bush that was hidden, and now it can be in a place of honor, which I think it deserves. (lilacs were a favorite of my mom's and my son was born during the lilac blooming season..and I feel very sentimental about them.  My lilac bush was given to me by my neighbor when it was just a twig..It is a special plant, that I LOVE..and now there is room for it..  This is how it should be.. There should be room for what we LOVE..but we had to let go of what we did not love for it to have its proper space. (I also moved some tulips, rhubarb, and irises)

I have not worked that hard physically in a very long time..I forgot how tired I was, and worked anyway..knowing it was a rare day, I'd be able to do that much gardening.  (and I was a muddy mess!)  My mother in law saw me and wanted my picture taken. She said I looked like a farmer. (-;  I take that as a compliment.  as she meant it to be. (I think) (-;

I can't wait to see what it will look like when in bloom..