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It was a long winter out here - gratefully nothing like
the rest of our country experienced. But for us 'west-coasters'
the sign of blooming things takes the curse off. We only had
a few days of snow this year, yet in a 'moderate' climate it
was enough to kill off many plants. We were lucky, so far
everything here seems to have survived. There were a couple
windstorms which took the top off one of our wild cherry trees.
It is hanging perilously over one of the paths in our woods.
The local tree man declined removing it, and muttered something
to the effect it would eventually fall off. Great. We do keep
one eye on the dangling limbs when we are back there.
A couple years ago I did a spring column showing some of our
blooming goodies. The garden does take work and time, but
we're thoroughly hooked on having joy available anytime we
look at our backyard. This is the view from the office window,
living room and the back deck.
This view is the right and center of the backyard. There is
a path which wanders through the back woods. That area is more
managed rather than a formal garden.
This is the left side of the backyard, and the property extends
a way back, but we stopped clearing and planting in order to
leave a place for the birds and other small critters. Too many
homes are build after totally clearing the property, displacing
all the wildlife. We enjoy seeing the birds and even have two
kinds of squirrels, the Douglas and Flying Squirrels, who feed
at night. The Douglas is tame to the point of coming to the back
sliding door looking for a peanut or two. I've discovered his
stash in several places around the yard. The Steller's Jay has
also occasionally found some.
Here you can see a bit more of the path, there are actually two
winding through the woods, and a park bench tucked under one of
the big pine trees. A great place to hide in the summer with a
cold drink. There is another park bench on the edge of the grass
behind the burning bush just past the path.
I have a book which has wonderful suggestions for working with
nature when gardening. Some things grow beautifully and other
plants which I really would love to have don't make it at all.
The ivy on the tree on the left edge of the photo is 'volunteer'
- I've planted some ivy which also has done well. There is also
a collection of natural ferns which are lovely. The ivy does make
a great ground cover, it seems to do very well in deep shade which
is a tough place to cover.
I suspect our love of gardening is in direct relation with our
fishing. All part of our love for the outdoors and the beauty
we find (or create) is a way to cope with the stresses we all face.
I'm afraid that with unlimited time and money I could go a bit
overboard gardening. Hope you have enjoyed a little look at
our world. ~ The LadyFisher
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