"In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death." ~Sam Llewelyn
As I tossed my trowel into the fray of gardening blogs, I stumbled upon this quote...and chuckled to myself. Isn't it the truth! The whole of the garden is contrast...the anticipation of the lushness of spring. Birds and bees, nests, hatchings, life bursting forth all around us. Even the most dedicated "non-gardener" can't help but feel the vibration of life when in a garden.
My own current garden is, yet again, a new creation. Not a new space, or blank...but new to me. As I look out on its expanse, I have been thinking about all the gardens leading to this one...my journey from novice to something more than a novice. This one my 4th garden. I remember the others fondly....
My first over 20 years ago, a small plot of land behind my townhouse next to a lake. I had no idea what I was doing! But a garden seemed like place to think outside the box.I packed in as much as possible into my little slice of heaven. I had some success and some failures, but in that small little plot I discovered that I had dirt in my soul!
Then onto the second, a traditional 1/3 acre suburban tract where I bucked tradition of builders shrubs and planted a riot of flowers where others had arborvitae(s). Horrible, concrete-like clay, impossible to dig and a largely shady space challenged the things I had learned to that time. Over time, the garden evolved as I did and 15 years later, I moved on to the next adventure in my life.
A new home in a new zone 1/2 mile from the Atlantic Ocean. I'll never forget the blank sand slate that was my yard, house plopped in the middle as if set down by aliens. I bought peat moss and manure by the truckloads. Everytime I dug a hole, a heaped in amendment...that will work, I thought! I completely underestimated the effect of the brutal North Carolina heat and salt spray. Water, water, water and more water...I definitely needed to fallback and regroup. I did my homework and found that lots of things like brutal heat and salt spray...Rosemary for one grows to big beautiful fragrant shrubs with incredible blue blossoms.
And now to the present my coastal, but not seaside, home that brings me back to the gardening I know how to do...clay. Believe it or not I am kind of relieved, and back in my comfort zone!
The bones are good...mature trees spaced about so as to give sun to most of the garden for some part of the day...established azaleas, dogwood, rhododendron and hydrangeas thrive in beds under the trees...a few beds of day lilies, some butterfly bushes. The downside...a large expanse of warm season invasive pain in the butt grass...and my nemesis... 
EW EW EW!!! I HATE SNAKES!!! Unfortunately, they are here to stay and I will have to rely on the dogs to let me know when they are close by....and if they eat them...well so be it.
My bloggy journey begins!
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