New Beginnings

By Ellen Leigh | May 16, 2010 | Category Uncategorized, wildlife garden

Spring has sprung, the scent of flowers is in the air, and new life is springing up all around me. Several Robins are singing out in the yard, and a pair has even set up housekeeping just outside my door after losing their first nest by my neighbor’s door. They seem to be getting used to my comings and goings, I can get quite close to them and still they remain on the nest of three beautiful blue eggs. They seem to know that I won’t hurt them or disturb their nest.

As I write this I am resting after a session of digging up and potting the few plants I have grown attached to here- the lavender, chives, sage and oregano I planted my first summer here, the miniature rose bush that is a cherished gift from a friend, the day lily that is the only plant I have from my previous garden, and the assorted perennials that came in a mixed cut flower seed packet I scattered last spring. This place and garden has always been a temporary place for me, I never really set down any roots here, and now it’s time to move on.

This time I get to move in the spring of the year instead of the dead of winter, and for a much more hopeful reason. It’s a new beginning and not an ending. In preparation, I have tossed out, sold or given away things I won’t have room or a use for any more and kept those things I really like or just can’t part with. The next few weeks will be spent packing up all of my things and setting up a new household and a new garden, combining possessions and creating a new home.

The new garden will be considerably shadier, not enough sun for the tomatoes and vegetables I like to grow, but under the lovely flowering trees will be room for a variety of hosta, my favorite impatiens, and some perennials. There are some sunny spots to tuck the herbs into, and that will satisfy the chef in me for now. I can get all the fresh vegetables I want at the local Farmer’s Markets, along with the fresh seasonal fruits and herbs I won’t be able to grow at the new place. When you are only cooking for two, you don’t need much.

Behind the place is a nice sized deck for my ‘garden room’ furniture, my barrel pond for my fish and some mixed planters. The deck and rear garden back up to an old growth strip of woods where the Trout Lilies, Wood Anemones and other woodland wildflowers are already done with their blooming for the year, and the undergrowth is now filling in. I look forward to the two of us sitting outside and enjoying the view of the garden and woods on a soft summer’s evening. It’s big enough beyond the shallow rolling lawn for a short exploration to discover what else may be growing in there and perhaps insert some additional woodland flowers along the edge to enjoy next spring. It will be nice to be able to see out into the woods from the sunny living room, dining room and bedroom and watch the wildlife and the seasons as they change. I really miss being able to see the garden from the house and having it entice me outside to see what’s going on.

So this spring and summer are especially hope filled for me, with a new life and love, a new home and garden, and a new future to shape. There will be new adventures, new plants to try, new soil to work and a new way of life. Together. In a new nest.

See you in the Garden!

Ellen Leigh

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