Eighteen months ago, we left our small farm and its garden that we grew over 10 years from a bare lucerne paddock. We still own the farm, and return as often as we can. I miss my farm garden terribly! Here it is in its 'glory days':
We purchased a house in a new estate in town, so that we could be closer to school for our children. This was the backyard when we moved in:
True to my name, it didn't take long before I was planning to set the yard 'a-bloom'! It has been a long, slow process, but yesterday I took photos of my first town garden blooms - quite momentous for me! This is Prunus 'Elvins' blossom.
Step 1: Intall bore in backyard for water supply.
Step 2: Install garden shed - a critical step to keep husband (aka 'my garden slave') on side!
Step 3: Bring in some serious digging implements. We landscaped the yard into two levels at this point.
Step 4: Two levels in a garden necessitates the building of a retaining wall. All hands on deck for this job. Coerce children into some bricklaying - nothing like a bit of child labour!
Since the previous photo, we have painted the wall & planted lots of trees & roses.
As we wait impatiently for plants to burst into leaf & bloom, we can look back and at least see where we have been in the last year and a half. It is such fun to build garden - hard work, but fun!
So at last I have my very first blooms from our garden in town to share with you.
"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies." - Gertrude Jekyll
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." - Greek proverb
"How sweet is the life of a gardener." - Bloom!
