… when you’re making other plans. That’s how the saying goes, right?
Well, we’re in it right now. Not gonna lie, it’s unpleasant, sad, and frustrating. There are some things that I just wish we could avoid, but that’s not possible. Trying to stay present and make good decisions in the midst of it all is a challenge… one I’m not sure I’m equipped for. I’m trying.
But it is spring, and I’m starting to see some of the perennials I planted last fall come back, and that feels kind of magical.
It’s all a grand experiment in the backyard. Now that we have a working patio (hooray!), I can turn my attention to the actual yard, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do to make some reasonable bird and bug habitat. I’m working on a bed on the west side of the house that gets a bunch of sun, putting in native plants (and non-natives adjusted to our poor soil) that birds and bees find appealing.
It was SO HOT last summer (90+ degrees for 40 days, and well into the 80s for several more) that I stopped buying plants in the late spring, and put off most of it until the fall (the buying and the planting). Then I worried that I got everything in too late for it to start establishing before it all froze and was covered by snow.
Some of the perennials die back dramatically, like, to the soil, after their seasons, so because they basically disappeared I had no idea what would survive. Evidence so far suggests that at least some of them did… yay!
The Mugo pines also did pretty well, and I’m waiting to see if some of the grasses, the Russian sages (that have been stepped on a few times, sadly), and the ice flowers do their thing. One of the coneflowers is making an attempt, so that’s good. We have some lavenders that I planted last spring that struggled in the heat, but will hopefully have become better established. Our mock orange plants are starting to send out leaves as well, so hopefully they’ll thrive this year.
I am thankful that in the midst of personal challenge, the change in seasons injects some much needed perspective: there are seasons to life. Change is always happening, for better or for worse.
Carmen Yount 