My Back Yard

My wife is a gardening dynamo. She loves to get out and dig in the dirt. Some of the plants and shrubs around my house have been moved so many time they keep teeny tiny bags packed right next to their stems. “Taking root” is not an understood concept among our fauna population. That being said, we take great pride in our back yard. It backs up to small woods which we have landscaped. It has a lot of old growth trees and shade, so getting anything to grow means manipulating branches and scarce sunlight to hit just where you want. It is a continual work in progress.

I am always amazed at how the garden grows. It is fairly bleak and glum during the winter. Because of falling branches and trees, many of our new evergreen plantings have been damaged. It really shows in the winter. But the critters love them so we leave them alone. At the beginning of March, I look at the barren yard and wonder will anything grow this year. Then comes mid-March, and the little shoots start to poke their heads through the snow covered dirt. By mid April, things are starting to grow and some flowers start to show themselves.

Then in one six week burst of energy, the entire yard pops out. By June, it is unrecognizable as it is filled to the brim with all sorts of growth and colors. The peak is between mid-June and mid-July when my backyard looks like a professionally landscaped park. It is gorgeous. It is so pretty, my wife and I can sit back there for hours. There is no place we can go for vacation that would be as enjoyable as my back yard. So we stay home and enjoy it.

By the beginning of August, the hawthorn tree, my favorite, starts to shed its leaves and looks a tad empty. The hostas start to wither and retreat. The Blue-bells and Lilies of the Valley ground cover turns brown and start to die off. The Daisies and Black Eyed Susans are still going strong, as well the flox. But it is clear that the bloom is off the rose, literally, and you can see fall knocking at the door.

Autumn gives us an array of different colors, and the crisp days more than make up for the now deficient foliage. The yard is covered with leaves from all of those old growth trees. The leaf guys come three times each fall to gather them up and take them away. Then usually Thanksgiving weekend, there is one last final cleanup, and the yard is totally empty and barren. It is time for the snow to cover our statue of St. Francis, who stands watch in the rock garden over the yard and our furry friends. It is time hibernate.

Maybe it’s because I am getting older that the passing of the seasons seem to come more quickly. Maybe it’s because I am getting older that the barren winter landscape seems emptier than it used to. Or maybe it’s because I have come to appreciate that 6 week burst of energy the yard shows every year without fail, hoping maybe some of that will rub off on me. God knows me and my back need it.

One thing I am sure of, each year I am thankful for my yard, and for my lovely wife whose digging makes it the special place that it is…just as long as she doesn’t transplant me!!!