"We must cultivate our garden." -- Voltaire
On March 1, I firmly declared that my time in the garden was officially beginning again, and luckily, Mother Nature has complied. I have kept careful notes, sketches, wish lists of my yard and its contents and I am thankful to look back as this season starts so I can know what to expect as the rebirth begins.
I live in a 100 year old house (with a 100 year old garden) on half an acre in the middle of the city in Richmond, Virginia. My husband, two sons, and I have lived here for 2 1/2 years and have been digging out ever since. The yard wasn't totally neglected by any means, but parts of it were (still are) overgrown, held the wrong plants, and has a long history that I have been eager to uncover.
Most dramatic was the first spring we were here and we concentrated on getting rid of the 20 feet high formations of raspberries, honeysuckle, "junk trees", and weeds that bordered 3 sides of the property. We cleared a large area in the back for our vegetable garden, and as we pulled roots, raked, and tilled, we were rewarded with a base of very rich soil ready to be nurtured. Amazingly, as soon as the ground was bare, up popped tulips, daffodils, irises -- and about 6 old rose bushes. I felt like my pirate playing sons uncovering buried treasure.
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