The butterfly bush will undoubtedly get out of hand this year. It has not been trimmed back. I lack the initiative to do it at the moment, and I harbor a nascent faith that the incipient growth will block the overpowering afternoon sun from the front porch. The afternoon being the time when I would most like to sit on the porch yet when the porch is most uninhabitable. The porch faces west.
The japanese maple we planted in the garden has done pretty terrifically well. It’s a beautiful tree with a robust trunk and the splendor of red foliage. It’s a short tree though. Maybe one day it will be tall enough to block the afternoon sun from the front porch, but I am not hopeful in this regard. The dogwood in the yard was a pipe dream, a dream which was not shared. My Sweet Lady knew all along that the thing would be beautiful but not much for blocking light. What do I know?
The short little arborvitae in the back were my idea too. I think my Sweet Lady would have gone for something bigger from the get-go. These things are starting to grow though. They are headed into their third year or something and they should really take off. We probably need another row to really get the privacy thing going, but they are starting to look good. The tulip bulbs Tallulah chose have come up very nicely. I am now sold on tulips. Even the pachasandra is poking up back there now. I am hopeful that stuff takes over too.
Pretty soon it will be time to put some seeds in the garden. It’s a box, really, not a full-on garden. Four by eight. Probably big enough to bury me in if you wanted to. A little tight in the shoulders, but I would not put up a fuss. Better for burying seed than people though. I have to pick some seeds. Probably peppers and cucumbers, tomatoes and beans. The corn hasn’t worked for two years, so I’m giving up on that. Not ready to give in on carrots though.
your grandfather would be proud.