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Garden journal entry

 

Cotinus 'Grace' doing the Truffula Dance
May 27, 2016. I'm back at my home for the past twenty years, the one whose gardens are described on this website. Since I moved to Houston four months ago, I've been back just a few times, to share some time with my family, who won't be moving till summer. This Memorial Day visit will likely be my last one, so it's a bittersweet occasion – I look outside and see the tree-filled half acre that was the source of so much joy, anticipation, and a good helping of frustration through most of my adult life. It's good to see how it all works together, even though it is hardly a well manicured garden. From the sun-drenched garden (mostly lawn) where many years ago Amy and I got married on a brand-new patio and were surrounded by our wedding guests in a big happy tent, the Lush Gardens have undergone many transformations, to where now big trees and a big pond dominate the space, one that feels wonderfully established. I hope its new owners will similarly find satisfaction in the garden, even if they don't see themselves as gardeners yet. The birds and butterflies that have made their homes here will certainly serve as inspiration and a reminder of the importance of keeping nature around us.
This weekend's activities around the garden are half reconnection, half making sure we leave everything in a presentable state for those who come after us. And of course, the garden, which has been maintained mostly by Amy this spring, threw some surprises at me. Such as the funky state of the 'Grace' smoketree, resembling Dr. Seuss's truffula trees after their partial winter survival. I normally cut it back fairly low to the ground in early spring, but this year it was allowed to do its own thing without intervention, leading to a comical appearance (you'll have to take my word for it, I admit the photo isn't particularly convincing).
My next post, whenever it happens, will likely talk about our new garden in Houston – which will feel quite the opposite of established, but will offer a blank slate not unlike the one I faced twenty years ago here in Pennsylvania. Another cycle, coming right up!


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Last modified: September 09, 2009
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