Welcome, Spring!

At first glance, our backyard appears to be an uninspiring combination of sticks and stones, hard-packed dirt, sparse patches of dead grass, random bricks and concrete blocks, old fence posts, overgrown bushes, shrubs, and trees, and, of course, weeds.  I was slightly disappointed when we first moved in (we had signed the lease for the house sight unseen!), but I soon became excited dreaming of all the gardening and landscaping possibilities.  

So I’ve spent the winter eagerly waiting for the arrival of spring so that I can finally get to work fixing things up (within our limited budget and time constraints-we will probably only be here for the next couple of years).  And now it’s finally springtime!  We’ve been pruning and clearing and weeding and getting everything ready for planting new flower beds.  And though I didn’t have many expectations for the existing landscape, there are signs of life everywhere.  Bunches of tulips push their way through hard-packed soil.  Teeny-tiny miniature crocuses dot the parched lawn.  Stark white snowdrops appear in the midst of a leaf-covered rock garden.  It’s exciting to watch new plants emerge unexpectedly from barren patches of ground, and each new discovery is a sweet surprise.

    

  

There are other plants growing in the garden, besides the spring flowers.  Some I recognize, others are a mystery to me.  Of the ones that I’ve been able to identify, many have descriptions which include words such as “prolific,” “fast-spreading,” and “invasive.”  These plants thrive on neglect because it allows them to TAKE OVER as much space as possible, which is probably why the backyard feels like an overgrown wilderness.  I am doing my best to regain control of the plants, but it may be a lost cause (see this unintentionally hilarious post on how to get rid of yucca FOREVER.   The yuccas near our patio have super-sharp leaves which are at Henry’s eye level, so I hacked them all off.  I’m glad I don’t have to face actually removing the plants. )

My next step it to pick out a few plants to try growing once the last freeze occurs sometime in May/June.  I’ll probably start with flowers because I’m too intimidated to try growing vegetables in this arid climate with crazy temperature fluctuations.  Maybe next year?  I will post updates if things work out!