landscape

Today we met with the landscaper to talk about a plan. With the dumpsters moving out in a couple weeks (whoa) and the driveway scheduled to be repaved in the next two months... there's a crucial window of time to regrade the property and figure out what plantings we're able to do. To be honest the meeting today was a little bittersweet because with every step forward it's also a little bit of letting go. We had attempted to transplant alot of our old shrubs before demolition... but very few survived. I am sad about this because while we inherited the landscaping and some of it wasn't to my taste... it was sure alot easier than starting totally anew.

Aside from not being able to play the piano or bake anything in the past year and a half, one of the things I've missed the most about "home" has been not being able to "dig in the dirt". I really loved tending to the plants around our home, adding new ones.. even mowing the lawn.

Two of my favorites were our hydrangea plants and these gorgeous peonies. The summer after the fire, the plants didn't know any better and presented this beautiful show of blooms despite being surrounded by a terrible dilapidated house. One afternoon- with the house looking (and smelling) so awful and burnt, I cut a bunch of the peonies and delivered bouquets to our neighbors to thank them for their kindness and understanding. I really hope these peonies made it....

The summer before the fire we had just planted a couple of lilac shoots:

..and started a shade garden on the side of the house:
We had an extensive container garden on our back deck. We grew everything from seed-- lots of herbs and flowers and vegetables:


I hope that the landscaper numbers come back okay. I think our priorities are to have the property regraded, get the lawn back in presentable shape and get some foundation plants that then I can plant around with perennials. Our property isn't large... but starting from a construction site with lots of mud and machinery and dumpsters... it's hard to picture any different right now. All that said, these old photos remind me how wonderful it is to watch things grow, to nurture plants and enjoy their beauty. I'm filled with optimism and hope that we'll again be able to enjoy this aspect of homeownership.