Restoring Order 1

Monica and her friend Rebecca, have created a wonderful idea.  It's called Restoring Order and the idea behind it is that we can work together to attack those areas of clutter in our homes.  I have been following and planning to join but up until now, I have forgotten to take the "before and after" pics.  I love the idea and the chance to share what I have accomplished.  Technically, I don't know whether today's efforts count but after a long winter, my garden desperately needed some order.  I don't cut back in the fall since I am always afraid of killing something.  I leave it until spring and since I know my plants fairly well, I now know which ones will tolerate what in the spring.  You will probably notice that our garden is very fussy - lots of little beds all around (and what you see here is only the north and east sides of the house - I have a fairly large herb bed and shade garden on the west side of the house and some roses, lilacs, etc on the south side).  I have been meaning to get out and get to work and today, I finally did.

Before I start, though, I have to include the prerequisite "cute" picture of Pk.  She sat outside and drank tea with grandma while I worked.

This is my rose bed.  This one always worries me in the spring.  I never know which rose will survive the winter.  My favourite is my David Austin Heritage rose - it has lovely, full pink blossoms with a lovely lemony smell.  This year, it looks like 2 of the 3 are o.k., my Abraham Darby looks like it might not have made it.

This is our vegetable bed.  We always grow our own tomatoes, basil, parsley and sometimes peppers, although we haven't the last few years.  It doesn't look all that big but we eat tomatoes non-stop in August and September.  We are hoping to double the size of this bed this year and try to plant beans, radishes and maybe some green onions, carrots and beets.

This bed is always pretty in the spring although you can't really tell in the pictures.  I have crocuses that have already come and gone and several miniature bulbs - grape hyacinths, daffodils and stunning iris.  My little camera didn't do them justice when I tried for close-ups.

This bed is one that I haven't really gotten a handle on - it has lavender, lilies, irises and echanachia.  It tends to look great in August, obviously, terrible in April.

I love my garden and I love the sense of accomplishment and wonder I feel when something blooms, comes back after a long winter or, most of all, when I can cook with things I have grown.  It is a place where I feel a deep sense of God's gifts and the incredibly mystery of life.

I couldn't get the meme to work on the blog (I am missing a step somewhere) so I would love help!