Constant Gardening Through A Summer of Change

It began on a cold morning in April and ended on a cold morning in November.  I started the project next to a bossy older Yorkie with me as the little sister and ended the project next to a bossy Griffon who was my little sister.  

It started with me in my stroller in our side garden with Foley and ended with me in my stroller next to River in a garden named for Foley.  

The last two years, after we moved to the Downtown Modular Abbey, Foley and I supervised Mommy’s and Daddy’s yard work.  Over the winter we would plan how our gardens would look then give our parents a list of plants to buy and supervise their planting from our stroller.  

Over the winter Foley and I laid out ambitious plans for six different gardens, building news ones, and expanding others.  Then, in June, disaster struck.  Foley went to the Bridge and I was left alone trying to get two grieving parents to complete Foley’s plans.

I think I did a very good job with the garden planning, especially being given the difficult job of planning Foley’s garden (which was helped greatly by a beautiful Hydrangea from Hobo and his parent .)  Three weeks later, as my plans were coming together, I was joined in the stroller of supervision by River Song, and, despite her not taking part in the winter’s planning, she had her own ideas.

At first I dismissed every thought she put forth, but I had to admit, the little frowny faced girl from Florida had some good ideas.  The butterfly bushes in front of the house were overtaking the front garden and needed to be moved to the side.  The lighthouse garden, which the year before had been nothing but poor growly grass, and was Foley’s “baby” needed to be expanded.  

In fact River was so right on with her directions that I began to believe that Foley was visiting her in her dreams which put me in the uncomfortable position of defending Foley’s initial plans for the gardens against what I was suspicious of, but could not confirm, Foley’s new plans for the garden, being relayed through a lap taking, frowning interloper.

But soon we began to work together and as fall came the gardens were beautiful.  We had worked Mommy and Daddy (and the poor trash man who had to take away bag after bag of grass and soil from our ever expanding gardens) nearly to death but it was worth it.

But this week we closed down the pretty gardens, cut them back, dug them up, put mulch around the perennials, and put away the tools.  Everyone had grim faces, not just from bracing from the cold winds, but because these gardens were a link to Foley.

But in five months those perennials Foley and I picked out will grow again, reminding us of her.  And there will be new plants that River and I will pick out while the ground is frozen and everything will be new again

We haven’t posted pictures of our gardens because they were never finished, but these are some we took while they were a work in progress.  I hope you enjoy them and prepare for next week when Pocket and River Landscapers will have planned even more beauty.

The shed garden
the lighthouse garden
the wheelbarrow garden
Foley's Garden