A Garden to Die For

Uncategorized 1 Minute

I am a most reluctant gardener which has been stated many times before. I am also a miser, and that must be the root of the problem. We inherited a nice little garden with this house. John said at the outset that he was not going to get caught up in it, so what choice did I have? I couldn’t let the previous owner’s investment of time and money go to waste, could I? Besides, I was surrounded by real gardeners – former neighbor Amy, across the street Shawn and Bob, and next door Joyce. They might have needed someone to look down on, and I was the perfect one. Instead, they were most helpful, willing to share advice whenever asked. I couldn’t let down the neighborhood.

I almost gardened myself silly this morning. All I went out for was to trim off the dead roses. Several times I had clipped around two areas with low-growing evergreens near the pergola. That’s where I started on the way to the roses.

073016 Evergreen trim only half done.JPG
First clippings are near the stone wall.

Somehow I missed the big bed just outside the porch screened door. The former owners had the area carefully ringed in stones, and I let those bushes get way past their boundary. Despite having already put in my quota of pruning time, I whacked about 5 feet of that line. The butchering was done with a dull pair of clippers, the action being more twisting than cutting.

073016 Stones now exposed.JPG
Stones were exposed, and the gravel walk was strewn with branches.

Miles of evergreen later, I almost couldn’t walk back in the house. I came in thankful the garden didn’t kill me today. I really don’t want a garden that I WILL DIE FOR!!!!

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

8 thoughts on “A Garden to Die For”

      1. I’ve been at home for a bit (the wilds of Missouri) charged with the task of taking back the yard which has become an Ozarkian jungles of vines with thorns…it’s a labor of love

        Like

        Reply

  2. Marijo, a labor of love involving thorns? My first thought was a crown of thorns. The second thought was that God has led you to praise him while gardening. It’s a lesson I should preach to myself. I’m quite sure only the Lord could get me to love gardening.

    Like

    Reply

  3. The older I get, the more I convert former flower beds to grass. Now I am looking seriously at my fenced in garden. My idea of gardening doesn’t last longer the an hour in nice cool weather. This year that hasn’t happened. Most chores take longer and the weather hasn’t cooperated. Some days condos look appealing.

    Like

    Reply

    1. You have the right idea! It sounds as if you have a gardening background and are now trimming your sails. I left the gardening to my dad, sometimes called the Mad Farmer because he was so impatient he would worry seeds out of the ground. I began my gardening career at age 72, so my enthusiasm has definite bounds. Good luck with your grass conversion.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. I just go out to neaten things up and wind up shaking sweating panting and almost dead.Then it takes all day with ice packs and all night resting to recuperate. I am with you Anne…
    Why court a death wish?

    Like

    Reply

Do you have a comment? I'd love to hear from you.