Sweet Bean Gardening

11 Steps to Selling a Gardener's House

2012-02-29T13:39:00.000-06:00

1. Pray!

2. Become convinced your house will not sell after all

3. Daydream up a plan to revamp your current gardens (since you'll need a new project sans the moving!)

4. Blog about said plan. Double points if you include Pinterest garden photos.

5. Find hidden tips in the comments about baking bread before showings and running a slideshow of the garden in full bloom during showings

6. Fiercely enact all tips in #5 for the next unsuspecting people who come to look at your house. (If you find you can't do this fiercely, ferociously is also acceptable)

7. Accept the offer they immediately make after being positively overwhelmed by your home

(Source)

8. Be incredibly thankful that you dug up and stored most of your bulbs in the fall as well as a few takealong plants.

9. Realize that you now have to start packing and have no place to go.

10. Go to get boxes that your in-laws conveniently left for you in their garage. If you can manage to somehow misidentify their house and try on two separate occasions to break into a stranger's house - before you realize that the reason the key isn't working is because it's the wrong house! - you are sillier than me.

11. Keep on praying, since nothing is for sure until closing.

We're not sure yet what house we'll end up in, but we trust that God is good and will provide. It's exciting and scary and then exciting again, so we are thankful that while our emotions are flip-flopping all over the place, we have a steadfast Father. :)

From one man He made every nation of men,

that they should inhabit the whole earth;

And He determined the time set for them,

and the exact places where they should live. (Acts 17:26)

Downton Abbey

2012-02-26T13:00:00.000-06:00

Is anybody else adrift without a new Downton Abbey episode tonight?

I will not look for season 3 spoilers, I will not look for season 3 spoilers.

I will not look for season 3 spoilers.

Compulsive Transplanting is Pinterest's Fault

2012-02-22T13:24:00.000-06:00

My very dear husband has been forewarned that if our house does not sell by the time our contract runs up in April, my Compulsive Transplanting disorder will be kicking into high gear. He's pretty used to coming home and discovering ~~mass upheaval~~ new projects, but I wanted to give him plenty of advance notice this time. I have a laundry list a mile longer than any paper I can find in the house.

While I've been mentally painting faux backsplashes, I've been staring out into the bleak winter garden. Dangerous, I know. Which leads to pinning more of these garden pictures at Pinterest.

Source: flickr.com via Hanni on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Hanni on Pinterest

Source: sunset.com via Hanni on Pinterest

Source: dreamshappythings.blogspot.com via Hanni on Pinterest

Source: vintagehome.tumblr.com via Hanni on Pinterest

Source: brabournefarm.blogspot.com via Hanni on Pinterest

Now if I looked out my window and saw one of these gardens, I'd be fairly confident I'd died and arrived at my heavenly home. :)
Cause this is what I see looking out the window of my earthly home!

I was surprised to see a common theme while looking at my Pinterest garden board. Several of the gardens that have caught my eye enough to be pinned have a formal element to them - specifically, a straight pathway leading to a focal point. Shocker! I would have denied it if the pinned evidence wasn't right in front of me.

I do love the "wildness" of cottage gardens,
but I have enough of an active left brain to like a tidy straight line.

So...of course that means my active right brain is coming up with all kinds of plans to rearrange.
Compulsive Transplanting Disorder strikes again!

(Check out my Welcome to Pinterest post if the Pinterest garden images are enough to make your mouth water and contemplate coming over to the Pinterest dark side...@PlantPostings...)

Drooping Tulips?

2012-02-16T14:07:00.002-06:00

Last week, during the most recent house showing, I purchased a few bundles of fresh tulips to ~~lure in prospective buyers~~ make our house look welcoming.

Wouldn't you know it? An hour left before the showing and my tulips are drooping so fast they are kissing the countertops. A case of the Droopsies!

(Source)

Now a little bit of droop in a tulip bouquet is lovely, but instead of giving the charming suggestion to "Buy this house!" my tulips were depressing the prospective buyers out the door.

Google found me the Droopicitus cure.

Just take a pin and pierce a hole in the stem about an inch from the head.

Presto chango! My tulips have been happily droop free for the past week.

I can't believe I didn't know this before!

The next buyer who comes to see our house will have the indescribable urge to purchase our house...

and they won't even know its all the tulip's fault.

Bloom Day: February 2012

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Confession: Keeping a house on the market and show ready at the drop of a hat leaves you no time for anything else. Especially if two young ~~wildebeests~~ toddlers live there.

I sure do miss blogging. :)

Happy Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!

Best & Worst of the 2011 Garden

2011-12-30T16:35:00.001-06:00

We share the best & worst parts of our day at the supper table...which the Tornado usually misphrases,

"What was the part of YOUR day, Mommy?"

I was similarly inspired by Bumble Lush's Kitchen Garden to share the best & worst parts of my 2011 garden, so here goes!

The best:

After three years of struggle, I overcame one of my Nemesis Plants - the green pepper. The final harvest came in somewhere around 10 pounds...which I was thrilled with!

We also grew our first watermelon. And it was deeee-licious!

I finally learned how to can this year, too. I'm loving that my garden keeps on giving and giving even when it's cold outside.. The sweet beans especially love the Peach Peel Jelly!

The Worst:

Remember to bring your freshly picked produce INSIDE after you pick it.
Can you guess what this sunburnt vegetable is?

The Battle of the Deer raged on this season. I've asked so many local gardeners how they keep deer away, and apparently ours is the only garden within a 15 mile range that is deer-tasty. :) My options next year are limited to: 1) a live wire, 2) caging in the entire garden, or 3) sharing. (grrrr.)

Welcome to one of the many Ugly Places in my garden. Everybody has a few ugly places hidden away, but these don't normally get trotted out to share. :) I found that identifying (and sharing!) the worst parts of the garden gave me a big push to improve those areas. (So...I'll be looking for your ugly places too, right?)

What were the best & worst parts of YOUR 2011 garden?

Winter Interest in the Garden

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

So I very nearly titled this post Winterest, which makes perfect sense to me. I hope to be rambling about winter interest in the garden, so it's like a triple whammy combo of Winter, Interest and lots of ideas like Pinterest!

In my next garden, I am going to plan for winter first. Then autumn, spring, and tuck in summer last. I made the classical mistake of falling for the summer blooms in this garden, which has left me scrambling to find room for anything to enjoy for the rest of the seasons!

Here in zone 5, winter interest means texture, color and form. Nothing nice and southern like pansies! Pansies won't show up here until April, so we have a nice long 4 months for garden-dreaming.

I stood by this shrub and debated for a good 15 minutes last autumn, and I'm SO glad I bought it. It's the brightest green in the garden by far. I know it's something common, but my mind is spacing and I can't remember. Cypress?

The boxwoods that edge one end of my garden have partially turned orange. I thought they were supposed to be evergreen, but the orange is very pretty!

My favorite maidengrass keeps a lovely texture throughout the winter. I like that is also provides some height and movement (although the movement has scared me a time or two out of the corner of my eye!)

(Source)

I'd love to add some winterberry in the next garden. The birds would love this, too!

(Source)

American beautyberry is probably pushing some zone boundaries up here, but I recently saw several at a local park. Their purple color is incredibly unique for this time of year. I will probably have to do some sleuthing to be able to find it, but I'd love to incorporate this someday too.

What are your favorite winter interest plants?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T14:05:00.000-06:00

What a wretched man (or woman) I am!

Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

Smiling to myself today because I was thinking about telling the Christmas story to the Tornado a couple of years ago. We were putting up baby Jesus in her advent calendar and I was explaining that he was born in a manger, and didn't have a crib to sleep in, etc. She pondered that intensely for a few minutes, then asked me her burning question:

"Baby Jesus have a paci???"

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Takealong Plants

2011-12-09T15:01:00.001-06:00

If you've been a gardener for any length of time,

you know the term passalong plants-

those plants in your garden that have come to you with a story. A family plant passed down through the generations, a cutting here and there from a garden friend...I love passalongs! They give each garden a unique history and story to tell.

A cutting from my great- grandmother's hoya

But how about takealong plants?

Since we put our house up for sale I have been thinking much about the loss of my garden. I've already mentioned to our realtor that part of the contract will include taking some of the sentimental plants along. (She whispered in my ear that she did the exact same thing when her house sold!)

The last time we moved, we sold our house to a family member - who doesn't garden - so I had the freedom to take along anything I wanted...and the freedom to come back anytime to get more! But not this time.

1. Bearded Iris. I know you can pick these up a dime a dozen. But all my varieties were either picked up free at the side of the road, given by a friend-of-a-friend, or gotten at the thrift store. (My cheap side is winning out here...I can't stomach the thought of purchasing three for seven bucks!)

2. Shooting stars. I call these triple lilies, but I'm not sure why. I *think* they are triteleia. They appeared in my last garden (I must have planted them!), blooming in early summer, and are always a big surprise. The green pushes up in spring, then flops down to nothing, and suddenly! -there are buds. Since I'm not even sure what they are, they have to come with. :) I may never find them again!

3. Garden Phlox (David). This is the Tornado's plant - I went with her to the nursery when she was a month old and planted this in her honor. So this one has to come, along with...

(Source)

4. Heartleaf Brunnera. My parents gave me this beautiful baby boy blue plant after the Professor was born! It's currently in the one tiny area of shade that I have at this house.

5. Mystery Rose. Actually, I can't believe I don't have a photo of this rose, so I had to substitute one of my other roses. My mom had this rose climbing all over our deck when I was growing up. It's a bright red rose with small blooms in clusters. This past season it just stopped thriving in her garden, so I have a piece that is taking off in my garden instead.

I know from experience that these may not make the transplant, but I'm willing it give it a shot anyway.
What would your takealong plants be?

DIY Chic: Orange Pomander Balls

2011-12-05T13:11:00.001-06:00

Since I'm terrified of candles, and didn't have the ingredients on hand to make stovetop potpourri,

we made orange pomander balls this year to make our home smell Christmas-y.

(Although I'm sure the smell Mary, Joseph and Jesus had in the stable was more similar to the stench of rotting diapers that are sitting in our trash can outside...!)

(Source)

They are pretty, easy to create, and best of all, I already had everything to make them on hand.

All you need is an orange and some whole cloves. Just push the cloves into the orange in whatever pattern you like! My fingers are calloused from bare-handed weed battles, but you may want to pre-prick some holes with a thimble to save your fingers some pain.

Push the clove in as gently as you can so the pretty star shape doesn't break!

You can cover the orange completely, create patterns, or just use a few cloves. Traditionally, pomander balls are rolled in a blend of cinnamon and orris root, then left to cure in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks. I didn't do all that, since I just wanted it for a few weeks here at Christmas. Plus, I have a sinking feeling I can't buy orris root at my local grocery store!

(Source)

Display your pomander ball in a bowl with additional oranges and pinecones, or tie a ribbon around it to hang from your tree. Mine is perched in a pale blue eggcup on my kitchen windowsill. Wherever you put it though, you will enjoy the beautiful spicy fragrance!

Black Friday Shopping Prank Video

2011-12-02T12:39:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: This has absolutely nothing to do with gardening.

But it is so funny it made me forget I have three months of snow and ice to endure before I can get back in the garden! Enjoy!

Quasimodo Garden

2011-11-30T07:16:00.001-06:00

One of these things is not like the other...

Winter hit in full force last night!

Today will be full of ~~trapped at~~ staying home, making first day of snow fudge, playing with chocolate play dough, and getting outside to brush off all that heavy snow from my Quasimodo evergreen. And hoping that I don't discover another puzzle piece hidden for who-knows-how-long in one Professor's diaper. :)

Watching the blinding sun rise this morning over the freshly fallen snow,

I am thankful for this eternal promise today:

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Miracle Lechuza Pots

2011-11-28T07:53:00.001-06:00

My usual M.O. when growing houseplants is as follows:

1. Get sucked into buying something green when everything is gray outside

2. Forget about watering it, or give it too much watering love

3. Voraciously google how to save the withering plant

4. Watch it die

5. Repeat process

Diagnosis: Three days to live

The story of all my houseplants have followed this unfortunate path.

Until...

One of our friends from church kept telling me about these miracle pots he grew houseplants in. We went to visit them at their home several months ago, and oh. my. mercy. I thought I had walked into a plant museum. His plants were so beautiful they looked like they were fake!

He grows them in Lechuza pots. The plant grows in a soil-less mix and it is self watered with a wick underneath. There is a little meter that tells you when you need to refill the pot with water, and exactly how much water to use. He says he hasn't lost one plant due to over/under watering.

(And FYI, to my great chagrin, I am in no way affiliated with Lechuza....maybe someday!)

They are a little pricey, but so is a continual cycle of purchasing and killing new plants! I suppressed purchasing one for a good six weeks or so, then broke down. I've had it for probably 5 months now, and I love love love it. (And I know I'm going overboard on the italics and bold print - just read this post in a tone of great excitement and you'll get my gist!)

Here's a close up of the little watering meter. The red line at the top is the maximum fill line. When the little red meter drops down to the lower line, just fill her up to the top. No guesswork on "am I dehydrating my plant? Am I drowning my plant?"

Lechuza is the perfect pot for an Anti-Container-Gardener...
and believe me, I would know. :)

Thankful Wednesday

2011-11-28T06:40:00.001-06:00

Thankful that I don't have a giant plastic dinosaur hovering over my supper...

...and that I have an easy to use sweeper!

Beginning to Look a Lot like Seed Time!

2011-11-18T14:23:00.001-06:00

In the middle of coughing my way through walking pneumonia and cleaning up from barfing toddler,

I was thrilled to see the first seed catalog show up today.

(There's always something to be thankful for!)

I was unsuccessful in convincing the Tornado that the girl on the cover was NOT actually her.

Last year I ordered all my seeds from E&R Seed and was very happy with both the prices and the quality of seed. They are an Amish company, I believe, and don't have a website or email. You also have to calculate your own shipping, which is a bit tricky. I actually overpaid on the shipping and received back a little envelope with change in it when my seeds arrived!

Edit: You can call E&R at (866) 510-3337 and request a catalog ... thanks Crafty Cristy for reminding me to put that info in!

Last year I got the first seed catalog on December 3, so the seed dreaming months of winter must be beginning a little early this year!

What is your favorite place to order seeds?

Bloom Day: November 2011

2011-11-15T08:05:00.001-06:00

I've missed joining in on Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for the past few months.

Unfortunately, not much is blooming in my garden in November!

But I did find a few stragglers:

This unknown shrub rose keeps putting out blooms and I even found a few buds still on it!

The alyssum has sent out volunteers all over the garden and the blooms just keep on coming. This one alas, was deep in the corner where I found a salamander lurking last month. Eeek.

I'll probably never be able to go in that corner again. :)

I transplanted the maiden grass during one of my compulsive transplanting sessions, so its "blooms" are not as big as usual, but it's still nice to see them waving in the chilly fall breeze.

What's blooming in your November garden?

Blue Gray Rainy Day

2011-11-14T14:34:00.001-06:00

I am convinced that whoever came up with Daylight Saving Time:

1. Did not have young children living at home, and

2. Was not a light-loving gardener.

It's sad to be eating supper in the dark now.

(Even sadder that I am getting up at 5 in the morning now - not.by.choice!)

That's what *I* think of your smug Daylight Savings scheme!

So instead on this blue gray rainy day,

I'm letting my mind wander to happy gardening days and thanking the Lord for giving us coffee. :)

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:44-45)

DIY Chic: Tomato Cage Grapevine Tree

2011-11-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, the girls from our small group were helping a friend pack up for her soon-to-be move. As we were leaving, a desperate throw-out shout called us back, "Anybody want this old tomato cage?"

Do I want a free old tomato cage? Are you kidding me? Of course.

Because naturally I am going grab some twigs from the woods and a strand of Christmas lights to make it into a cute tomato cage grapevine tree! It's a wonder there wasn't a stampede when she offered the cage up...I acknowledge I got lucky on that one. :)

After I regained my breath from pricing grapevine lengths at the hobby store (about $15 per 12 yards!), the woods were looking pretty appealing. I went out and cut about a wheelbarrows-full of twigs that were green enough that they had a good bend. Then the twigs, me, and my trusty floral wire had a hour long date.

Turn the cage upside down, and wire the three loose ends (that usually go into the ground) together into a point. That creates your "tree" and now you just need to add the twigs.

There's nothing magical about how to do this...just wire on the twigs nice and tight. I wanted a rustic look, just as long as the twigs weren't going to blow away in the wind! After you get the first several twigs secured around the wire cage, you can just weave the rest of them in and out until your cage is covered.

Add some lights, and voila!

This would also make a very cute Christmas tree using an old greenery garland. I can picture a throwback modern sixties tree in pink or blue tinsel. Many thanks to my junk-be-gone friend for inspiring this!

CSA vs. The Garden

2011-11-02T12:56:00.001-05:00

The garden and the CSA have officially wound up for the season and it's time to bust out my final harvest home tally spreadsheets.

Is joining a CSA worth the money?

All I knew about CSAs were that you paid an upfront sum to receive a box of veggies that are locally, organically grown for a period of weeks. Our summer CSA was 20 weeks on the dot, and we did not need to participate in any of the growing/weeding/harvesting work. Each CSA is slightly different though!

I recorded everything we received with the intention of price matching it at the grocery at the end of the season to compare costs. I gave up on that idea though, because the price of spring produce at the grocery is obviously a lot higher now than it would be in June. Wouldn't wanna sway the results with inaccurate data!

So I'll just ramble. Which is probably more ~~interesting~~ amusing anyway.

The CSA:

1. Variety! We had over 40 different items throughout the season. Some were things we were familiar with and some were things I would be happy never to see in my kitchen again. Flax seeds, I know you are good for me, but don't think you're ever getting in my house again.

Killer Kohlrabi

2. Lack of quantity! Either we eat a crazy amount more than what is suggested for four people per week, or else I imagined the size of the box to be much larger. :) We still had to go buy lots of veggies to round out our vegetable intake for the week.

3. Price! We paid around $20 a week for the CSA share. I was also going to a local veggie stand nearby to supplement, and it seems to me I would have been able to buy the same items & amounts for less cost.

The Garden:

1. Grew what we love! The plus side here is that everything that grew in our garden, I knew we loved to eat. We didn't have any vegetables that I had to ID on the Internet. :) I was also able to grow loads and loads of extras that were frozen or canned to use over the winter.

2. Battle of the Deer! That one particularly pesky fawn better have grown up into a stunning buck on all the fresh veggies he stole from my garden. Although I managed to fight back and still get a fair amount from the garden, I wasn't able to harvest as much as I'd planned thanks to the deer.

3. Work! Keeping up the garden is a lot less convenient that just picking up a box of veggies each week. Fortunately, I love being out in the dirt, weeding, harvesting, and generally puttering around. Except when the occasional frog jumps out and stops my heart for a few seconds. :)

The Conclusion:

We won't be doing the CSA again.

I enjoy working in my garden, growing only what I know we'll use, and I can do it for less cost. I also ended up buying more produce that I could can/freeze. So for us, it makes more sense to not join next summer.

But if you don't enjoy gardening (or gardening on such a big scale), and you are looking for a convenient, easy way to get more fresh and local variety in your diet, a CSA may be right for you!

Did you join a CSA this summer? What did you think of it?

Portrait of the Pooped Parents

2011-10-31T14:14:00.003-05:00

I laughed so hard I cried when the Tornado drew these portraits of us this weekend.

Or maybe I cried so hard I laughed.

At this point in time, I can't really be sure. :)

I've yet to decide if Daddy is bug-eyed because he just noticed I grew an extra couple of mouths

or if it's the discovery he's been represented sans hair.

Home Sweet Home

2011-10-14T15:01:00.003-05:00

Remember when I promised a little home tour?

(I know you're mentally thinking, remember when you used to actually post?)

We've been busy looking at realtor.com recently and I love love love peeking inside the houses. And checking out the birds eye view to see what the backyards look like! I'm going to have to rearrange everything for staging here in the next week, so I wanted to take some pictures of what the house looks like before I do that.

This was our dining room for a long, long time, until my compulsive transplanting/rearranging disorder hit.

Dollar store plates, score! And I scooped up that huge Mason jar at Goodwill a few months ago just because I couldn't believe how big it was....it's at least several gallons.

This was a hideous desk & chair before I got my hands on it. We got the desk for 2 bucks at a garage sale when we were first married. I spied the chair sitting on the side of the road at a stoplight. It was one nasty shade of dirty peach!

And lest you think the books are usually neatly on the shelf...a slight shift of the camera shows the true state of the bookshelf.

The Tornado's room in its full pink glory. If you look closely, you can see the honored GlowWorm's bed which is more or less a replica of her bed.

And the view of the garden from the living room window. It would be hard to say goodbye to the garden, but then again, I've always wanted to "inherit" a garden. My gardens I've had to start from scratch!

In his heart a man plans his course,

but the LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Hope Grew

2011-10-05T06:46:00.000-05:00

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecc. 3:1)

And today its time that Hope Grows Day turns into Hope Grew. :) The past few months the fifth has rolled around, and I have completely forgotten my very own meme! In fact, I've found it so uninspiring that I've had to look up what I was hoping for from the previous month.

So I'm eating my slice of humble pie and folding up Hope Grows Day.

(Source)

I love the idea of hosting a meme because that inspires me to get on the computer and write! Unfortunately, Hope Grows Day was not just working.

Instead, I will be posting a Before & After feature on the fifth on each month. I REALLY enjoy seeing these gardens morph into something new, and I always find inspiration for my own garden.

(Remember, if YOU have a Before & After to share, email me here)

Many, many thanks to those who participated in Hope Grows Day! I'm so grateful that you linked up to my little corner of the Internet. I may very well host another meme if a flash of garden blogging genius strikes, because I am ~~addicted to memes~~ do so love memes. But until then,

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

EOMV: September 2011

2011-10-04T14:06:00.000-05:00

Does it count as a blog post if you compose it in your head?

Does it count as an End of the Month View if you are four days late?

Does it count as one snack if you eat a handful of Brach's pumpkins and then sneak a few more?

My garden in early October is winding down.

I've been moving things here and there like I always do in early fall. This week I'll need to take my yearly video tour of the garden - it is invaluable in the spring when I can't remember where I moved anything!

My good old autumn standbys - maiden grass and mums - are happily blooming their hearts out.

A late blooming rose soaks in the last of the afternoon's sunshine....

...while another ones hides its face behind dwindling gaura. (You should have seen me all twisted up trying to get a photo of this one!)

And these ugly buggers keep jumping out of every which corner, interrupting my concentrated silence! Nothing like getting a kickstart to my heart rate out in the garden.

Time to start seed saving for next year!

How is your garden growing in early fall?

Thankful Wednesday

2011-09-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

Thankful today for 75% off houseplants!!! Love fall plant sales. :)
There's only one problem...

I don't know what it is! I'm terrible with indoor plants. That's why I keep buying them at 75% off.
Do you know what this plant is?

Before & After: Kathe's Garden Overhaul

2011-09-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

First off, I love that Kathe's blog is named Kathe with an E- a shout out to Green Gables and also that I'm not the only one who gets to have a tagline that goes along with her name. (Mine of course, is Hanni that Rhymes with Connie)

And secondly, I love that Kathe had the gumption to not only transform her perennial garden, but her vegetable garden as well! Her gardens had scope for imagination and she certainly took advantage of that. :)

1. How old is your garden? I think you mention the transformation was from this spring to this fall...but is your garden older than that?

Both gardens were really started about three years ago. I was very haphazard with design and planting. This past spring I decided to make them the gardens I had envisioned. I concentrated on plants that could take temps down to -40 and making sure there was always something blooming from Spring to Fall. But really, my vision was not a formal garden. I like it being kind of a controlled mess if you will. I like the ability to go out there and see something new almost everyday.

2. What was the easiest/hardest part of your garden change?

Hardest was finding a picket fence that met my wants. I didn't want it too high or too low. It took a bit of a search but when I found it, I knew it was just right. Also, Mr. B is a very lineal person. I am not. So, I had to kick him out of the way to set up the picket fence in a curvy manner, again, more pleasing to the eye I believe. Easiest was getting him to do the raised veg border :) Nice and straight just the way he likes it LOL.

3. And do you have anything else you'd like to share about your garden's before & after?

I am enjoying learning about different plants and what they need to grow well. I really enjoy making my own compost. I squeal with delight at the sight of a multitude of worms as I dig knowing that my compost has brought them there. I find that I appreciate the change of seasons and how they affect my gardens.

Kathe has written a beautiful post about her before & after transformation over at Kathe with an E - go check it out for lots of additional information and photos!

Do you have a Before & After you'd like to share?

Or do you know someone who has done a garden transformation you'd like to nominate? Click on the "Contact Me" tab above or just send me an email here and I'd love to feature your garden.