From the Greenhouse . . . A New Beginning

From the Green House #1 September 2024

I'm always amazed at how God knows what we need better than we do.
When we were looking at houses two Septembers ago, I had my heart set on an old craftsman-style bungalow with an attached greenhouse. I toured that house three times because I loved it so much! I had plans for the greenhouse, too. I could visualize how I would use it, the plants that would fill it, and how it would benefit my mental wellness and more importantly, my husband’s health. It seemed like just what we needed. So imagine my disappointment when our realtor told us that she had sent in our offer, but the seller had just accepted another offer. 
 
Shortly after, we found ourselves writing another offer on a different house. It was small, on a corner lot, and had no attached greenhouse. I felt like I was settling because we HAD to find a place to live since our house had already been sold. Now, after being here for almost two years, I can see how God was working. He knew that this house would be just what we needed. I’ve come to love this house and enjoyed making it a home. I have also had so much fun creating new gardens on our corner lot which is much bigger than I had originally thought. And it just so happens that the color of the house is a deep green - actually Sherwin Williams Garden Gate green. So in a way, I still got my ‘green house’. 

The following spring (2023), I started thinking about the yard and visualizing what it could be. When I stared out the windows, I could see existing mature trees and a mishmash of smaller ornamental trees and shrubs in odd places. It needed a major overhaul - kind of like me. The stress of health problems were beginning to take a toll on me, so by giving this yard a makeover, I was giving myself time to heal. We all know the benefits of gardening, and for me, it was the best therapy I could ask for.  

As a garden designer, it has been an invigorating challenge to design and garden in a smaller space than what I haven been used to. I started with the garden on the east side of the house. I knew I wanted a deep bed that I could walk through. And the olive green color of the house was the perfect backdrop for my favorite color purple in all its shades. 

Thanks to plants that were shared with me, I was off to a good start. We mowed the grass extremely short and sprayed the area killing off what was there. I try not to use glyphosate but realistically knew that this is what would work the best. Can’t imagine what our neighbors were thinking when they saw our lawn half dead with orange lines drawn on like a puzzle. 

At planting time, we amended each hole with a triple dose of goodness: Espoma’s Biotone Starter Plus, Nature’s Blend with Alfalfa and Humates, and root stimulator. We used leaves from the big silver maple in the back yard to mulch it all. At first I wasn’t sure I liked the look. 

We’ve been trained to think that a topping of brown hardwood mulch looks the best and is the best option. But I didn’t cave, and I’m glad I didn’t! After being in the ground for only one year, the plants have grown and filled in beyond my expectations, and I can’t even see the leaf mulch!  The spring rains earlier this year definitely helped give them all a good start. 

Next time I'll share specific plants in this bed and how I intentionally thought about bloom times to achieve a continuous show. Each month it looks different, with something new at it's peak. 

This garden has brought me so much joy. Seeing it filled with pollinators - especially bumblebees and hummingbirds along with flocks of finches - makes my heart so happy. God really does know what we need more than we do. We just need to trust him.