Rooted in Joy: A Morning in the Garden
It’s another beautiful morning, and I’m looking forward to a full day in the garden. Yesterday, I spent time outside digging, trimming, and getting my hands dirty, and it was exactly what I needed. I weeded a few beds, and soaked in the joy of watching everything thrive under the summer sun.
After a little walk with Peanut (who was already in full patrol mode), I dove straight into the front and side beds. There’s something about the rhythm of gardening that steadies me. I noticed which plants were thriving and which ones needed a bit more love—and I started dreaming about where I might tuck in some late-summer blooms.
As I worked in the garden, a chipmunk darted out and then back again—just a flash of curiosity. Peanut, however, was not amused. He stood his ground when a truly giant dog passed by, barking with all the confidence of a dog ten times his size. He’s small, but he sees himself as the guardian of our green kingdom.
Later in the day, I went to Connie’s to help with her garden. She has a lovely space, but there was quite a bit of poison ivy. I told her right away—I don’t do ivy! Sure enough, I brushed against some, so I washed up with Dawn dish soap before heading back into the dirt. Despite the scare, I ended up gardening for about an hour. It felt good to help a neighbor bring some order and beauty to her space.
Once I was home, I took a long, hot shower—my favorite reward after a full day of digging and pulling. That familiar, earned ache from being in the garden is one of my favorite feelings.
Here is the west part of my front yard. I have a bunch of columbines and Penstemon here that I want to move to the backyard.
This is the circle garden where the gardening started. I have lots of creeping Charlie here that I need to get rid of! I also need to move the plants around the Korean fir and put down boxes and mulch to cover where they were. I will do this when my next boxed Amazon shipments come. I am out of boxes at the moment.
This is where I am growing my Salvia. I want to move the Penstemon here and remove some of the black-eyed Susans. They crowd out everything else.Here is my finished tree project. I think I will plant some flowers to the right of the tree so it is more balanced.
