I’ve never really considered myself a gardener.  My mom had a nice vegetable garden and pretty plants around the house, but I didn’t ever want to help out with that growing up (teenagers).  On my own, I can’t seem to keep house plants alive.  I tried a vegetable garden a couple of years ago, and was very unsuccessful.  Last year I limited my vegetable gardening to three tomato plants, which yielded two tomatoes total all summer.  Although that was a 100% increase from the prior year  – if I kept it up, I might have enough for a couple of nice salads in a few years —  I think I’ll just stick to the farmer’s market.

I have a lovely location between my house and my studio that was calling for vegetation, so I decided to try a perennial garden last year.  I tried to plant a lot of things that were hardy for this weird north Texas weather, using my friends at Shades of Green as an expert resource.  The area is shady at high noon, but gets good morning sun, and the north end gets afternoon sun as well.

 

After a particularly cold, harsh winter, the garden is growing back!

 

 

I’ve also added a few new friends.

Fall used to be my favorite season, with the cool breezes coming after a harsh Texas summer.  But now, I think Spring has taken the top spot.  I love going through the garden each day, seeing what is sprouting or blooming.  It’s usually the first thing I do in the morning.  I also use the garden as a place to reflect, notice the details and colors of nature, listen to the birds, and give my mind a rest if I’ve been working on a difficult project.

I also think it makes a nice entrance to my studio.