When we bought our house in the Spring of 2005, it was a wreck that needed extensive renovation. The yard was small, but, with a nice combination of sun and shade, it had potential.
When we moved in a year later, the interior was barely completed and the back yard was still nothing more than a weedy storage area for construction debris. It was clear that I wouldn't be working on a garden yet.
I volunteered at the Garden Swap that year, but I had nothing to contribute. Nonetheless, I walked away with my arms full of plants that generous and understanding gardeners encouraged me to take. I went home, cleared a small patch in the yard, and planted my green treasures. They looked a bit ridiculous, small, slightly scraggly stalks standing amid chunks of wood, plaster and assorted building materials, but they were determined and so was I.
Fast forward another year, to the spring of 2007: the interior of the house was still not complete, but it was definitely presentable. It was finally time to look outward -- with our son's high school graduation party looming, I needed to transform the backyard from a junkyard into a garden.
The catch? With our schedules full, we really only had one weekend in which to do it.
Aided by our teen-aged children (Vince and Maddie) and some of their friends, my husband, Curt, and I lifted and toted until the yard was cleared of trash. There was the yard, empty at last. But, what next?
I regret to say that I had not spent hours sketching the layout, dreaming of the beautiful plants that would someday grace our yard. So, I took a deep breath, looked around and started with the materials at hand. We took down the clothesline poles made out of 4x4s and created a flowerbed against the back fence. With the Belgian blocks that I had forced my son's friends to spend hours moving from our old house, we created the outline of a path, a seating area, and more flower beds.
Curt and Vince hacked at the ground to loosen the packed dirt and remove the roots of long-dead bushes. The only access to our backyard is on foot, so they lugged dozens of bags of soil a really long distance from our car, which was parked in the street. They raked and smoothed and leveled until the ground was ready to plant. While I carefully transplanted the perennials given to me the previous year, they made numerous trips to the local Home Depot for mulch and grass seed. By the end of the weekend, there were flowerbeds, a few garden statues, two seating areas, a potential grassy area, and a smattering of confused fledgling perennials.
To my eyes, it was amazing.
Two weeks later, I once again returned to the Garden Swap as an empty-handed volunteer. And, once again, fellow gardeners took pity on me and sent me home with a car filled with plants. It was an amazing variety of plants and colors. I wasn't even sure what I had, but I crossed my fingers and planted 'em anyway.
By the time the graduation party was held at the end of June, the junkyard had been transformed. It isn't the lush mature garden with a pond and secluded bench that is my dream, but it was a huge improvement and the beginning of a real perennial garden. It will take a while for the plants to expand and fill the space, but -- thanks to the Garden Swap -- it's an incredible beginning and I can't wait to see what comes up this year.
-Stacie
Highland Park
Eight years ago I purchased a mid-century, corner house in the heart of Mt. Washington. The house had yews all around, instead of flowers, so they were the first to go. Each year I added, little by little, with my main focus on the wonderful aroma of spring and summer, and what a treat this has turned out to be.
