Happy Mother’s Day!

For Mother’s Day this year, I asked my family to help me redo our front garden beds. It took several trips to the nursery, several hundred dollars, and ALL DAY on Saturday to get it done!

Just as an aside, gardening with vegetables is like second nature for me, but I was completely lost in a world of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Thanks to several friends and a helpful saleswoman at the nursery, I was able to fumble my way through it.

This is before–two years ago in the fall I planted about 100 tulip bulbs. This was their second year. There is no doubt they are BEAUTIFUL, but within a week the blooms would have all dropped. And they were in the way. So I cut them all down, put huge bouquets in my kitchen, and gave the rest away. When I dug up the bulbs I found there were 3 bulbs for every one I planted. I definitely want to replant tulips in the fall, and enjoy them year after year!

Here is a view from the side. You can see the rhubarb plant–again it was it’s second year. I am determined to grow rhubarb and mint in these beds, because I want it to be functional and beautiful. But it had to be moved, and may not survive the transplant so late in the season.

Here is the side bed–mostly full of mint and wild flowers. I am keeping the mint, but dug out all the flowers, weeds, and grass.

Here is the final product in front–10 shrubs, 4 grasses, 2 trees, and 1 flat of flowers later. If you look closely you can see my bucket of cut tulips on the right.

And here is the side garden bed. I put in two Barberry bushes, one lilac, and transplanted the Johnny jump ups and pansies to the border. I will let this fill in with mint, I think.

I am sore, tired, and very satisfied!