My Garden

10 inch bloom on Tree Peony

The hobbies and things of interest in my life are many and varied, but one of the most refreshing and soul-satisfying activity, is tending to my garden. Ever since I moved into my present home, I’ve invested much time and resources into this veritable “Eden” of mine. I started out with restoring and repairing the lawn, which was damaged through years of neglect.

I landscaped and built a, “16 by 8” feet high trellis, followed by a low trellis. A year later I added a gazebo, which proved to be an interesting project. The biggest challenge was to put up the top rafters, and secure it in place. I put in a pond and then enlarged it a year later. A mowing edge, comprising a few hundred, 100 year-old bricks salvaged from the chimney of a demolished old house, was the final, backbreaking achievement in my backyard garden.


A garden wouldn’t be complete without the plants and trees. Due to budget constraints, most of the plants were grown from seeds and castoffs from friend’s gardens. It took sometime for the six varieties of clematis to eventually creep up and cover the gazebo, but it was certainly worth the wait and all the years of pruning. In my tiny backyard garden, I have managed to squeeze in fruit-bearing trees; an espaliered apple tree; a Chinese pear; a wonderfully sweet peach tree that has become overgrown; a grape vine; a black currant bush, and a Rainier cherry tree grown from a seed.


I love taking close-up shots of flowers

As much as I have enjoyed the fruit of my labor; it’s also the wildlife that has made my garden their home that amazes me. Three pairs of hummingbirds have made it their seasonal home; visiting me twice a day from spring to fall. Once, a Greater blue Heron landed right in my pond looking for a quick meal. Migrating birds stop over and wash themselves in the bird bath and eat from one of my many bird-feeders. There are even some Chickadees that have nested in the bird houses that sit atop the trellis. The occasional Monarch butterfly that flits and flies from the Bee Balm to the Mallows makes every visit in my garden special.

Tiny little hummingbird hovering over the fountain

It’s a lot of work to maintain this backyard garden, but I enjoy every moment and look forward to every spring and summer burst of colors from the many flowering plants.



"You will always reap what you sow. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." Galatians 6:7-9