Robins in the treetop, blossoms in the grass,
Green things a-growing, everywhere you pass.
---Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Following a recent visit to the Oregon Garden, I've fallen into a rhythm of industrious contentment as the skies clear and the green things begin to grow once again.
Time slows in the garden. My mind quiets and my thoughts wander. I move earth around with gloved hands; planting and pruning. Pulling up weeds and putting in flowers. A straw hat shading my eyes from the sun.
Rethinking the santolina, which has taken over an entire section of the herb garden. To prune or to plunder...that is the question with it now. Or shall I give it a new home somewhere else in the yard where it can wander without constraint. Or complaint. Sometimes you bring a little something home in a 4" pot with vision and confidence, only to have it morph into something else entirely. It was not the same variety I had planted before. Of that I am certain. Apparently it grew throughout the winter without any problem at all. A reminder that winter was mild here. Lovely though it is, it's tendency to swallow up everything around it prevails. The bee balm is a paltry specimen now. Sad and droopy from lack of nourishment and light. I'm hoping a little effort will revive it.
A bedding of bulbs is also in danger. Finding new "homes" and places to plant them is foremost on my mind before construction on the new deck begins. A rescue mission of sorts.
A bouquet of colorful songbirds, swooping in and out of birdhouses and trees, add background music to the long peaceful hours spent puttering in the garden. Don't ya just love this "high density" bird condo? (Compliments of Oregon Garden). Before you chop that tree to the ground, consider this garden feature as an alternative. I wish I would've seen this idea before we had so many of our trees removed.
On another acre of land, in another part of the woods, we find this. Best to keep moving! A rolling stone gathers no moss, as they say. I'll be back with more garden wonders to share again soon. Yay! Summer is here!