Walking Among the Beautiful...

My last blog was pretty heavy stuff, so I am going to make this one much lighter.  Life has a way of carrying us through highs and lows, and the people we love often form the support system that steadies us along the way. When we lose someone dear, that foundation shifts. The emotions can be overwhelming, and even simple activities can feel hard to focus on.

One thing that is helping  me is my gardening — or at least the version of gardening that condo living allows. We can’t exactly plow up a backyard, but we are permitted to create flowerbeds around our foundation and walkways. Most units have modest plantings along their front walk. When we bought ours, the front was lined with large shrubs that didn’t appeal to me at all, so out they went. I also expanded a six‑foot gap along the outer walkway, turning it into a continuous planting area.

 
 Although I removed four big shrubs, I kept three plants that had real charm:   The Siberian Iris occupies a prominent spot on the corner of the garage.   It is a spring bloomer, smaller than most iris varieties, and very enthusiastic about spreading.  Rhododendron are beautiful spring bloomers.  My Piedmont Rhododendron is a smaller, more delicate rhody tucked behind the lamp post.  Finally, the Balloon Flower is a lovely blue perennial whose buds puff up like tiny balloons before opening.

With limited planting area, my list of favorites is short.  Among my favorite are the Hostas. Hardy, varied, and instantly recognizable. I have three varieties, totaling six plants.  Blue Angel is a deep blueish green.  The August Lily is a green and white variegated.  And a Giant Leaf Hosta.  Hydrangea comes next, with its big, showy clusters. My single plant is blooming right now and it comes with a funny backstory.  I’ve always loved Rose of Sharon (hibiscus), mostly because my grandparents had a huge one by their back door. New Hampshire is right at the northern edge of their range, but I tried anyway. Two plants didn’t survive a brutally cold winter — or so I thought.  Turns out the nursery had grafted the hibiscus onto Hydrangea rootstock. The hibiscus died, but the rootstock lived on. Now I have a beautiful Hydrangea courtesy of botanical stubbornness.  To break up all the perennials, I added two evergreens: a dwarf juniper between my azaleas and a Sawara cypress bonsai that is… no longer a bonsai. I don’t know how to keep one trimmed, so it’s now about four feet tall.  I also have two Swamp Azaleas at the front of the planting area. They’re native to the region and bloom in the fall with clusters of small white flowers. 

This year’s project was roses — four varieties in all.  Most important to me is the Julia Child Rose Tree.  A floribunda rose perched atop a three‑foot stem, now blooming in rich yellow.  I have a True Sincerity sitting in a beautiful blue planter near the front door, producing abundant reddish‑trimmed yellow blooms. This morning it had ten open blossoms and eight buds.  In early spring I added a white seven-foot trellis near the front of the garage.  I have straddled it with a white and a red climbing rose.  It will take a few years to fill in, but we’re well on our way.

 

 

And I have not even mentioned the five flower boxes hung below my deck railing.  I will leave that to another blog.  Obviously, I can get very excited about my little garden.  I have not forgotten Pam.  I miss her dearly.  But this is one way that I can celebrate our fifty plus years together.  I am sure that she is by my side as I walk proudly through my small patch of beauty.