Pond Garden Redo
In 2010, Rob and I dug a little goldfish pond in our backyard and surrounded it with a picket fence that we stained dark green. Since the first day of its existence, the pond has been a big success. Very soon it was brimming with …
Garden Improvements
Sibleys and More
Last Sunday I cleaned up the Vine House, our little tin-roofed shelter on the north side of the yard. I washed all the furniture (periwinkle-colored chairs and a matching table) with bleach, and I dusted the decorations—wind chimes and sun catchers and a collection of …
New Sod and More
Saturday was the most beautiful and glorious day of all the year so far. It was dazzling. Everything was so green and seemed to shimmer with life, to tremble with it. Spring had truly arrived. Finally! Rob and I began the day with a trip …
Spring Weekend
On Friday night it rained over 4 inches. It was a spectacular storm that started in the late afternoon and continued until just before dawn. Rob and I popped popcorn and watched Justified as the lightning flashed and the thunder roared, and I was so …
By the Breezeway
I spent Veterans Day gardening, revamping the bed in front of the breezeway. The bed isn’t very big, but it’s in a pretty prominent spot, right near the main entrance to our house—so I’d like it to make a good impression. The first thing I …
The North Side
Last weekend I did a couple little projects to spruce up the north side of the yard. The projects were my favorite kind, the kind that mostly involve shopping. First, I added a short path leading up to the little shelter we call the Vine …
New Mushroom
On Friday Rob asked me to go to Native Nurseries on my lunch hour and get some garlic for planting. I did, and on the way back to work I texted him, “Got the garlic.” I didn’t mention that I’d also bought a statue of …
Sunflower Stepping Stone
Yesterday on my lunch hour I bought a large Christine Sibley stepping stone shaped like a sunflower. I was very excited. After work I wheeled it in the wheelbarrow through the wild petunias and positioned it in front of my favorite bench. Then I stood …
The Vine House Again
Here’s how the Vine House is shaping up these days. One side is draped with coral honeysuckle and the other with native pipevine. Lush Boston ferns, in baskets, hang from the roof beams on chains and provide tempting nesting spots for wrens. In the last …
