You may remember when I first introduced my front garden space and how it had been neglected for some time. Well, I am happy to report that I have been spending most of my time up front this season and giving the space some overdue TLC! Although there is still much more to do (including building the retaining rock wall), I am quite pleased with how things have filled in.
I spent most of the spring improving the soil conditions with a heavy dose of compost which has made a huge improvement in productivity. Like the rest of my garden spaces, I have planted a mixture of ornamental perennials such as Coreopsis, Echinacea, Black Eyed Susans and Spiderwort along with an array of herbs including Sage, Thyme, Comfrey, Borage and Santolina. I made sure to leave room for the annual edibles that thrive in sunny conditions and that we love to eat such as Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Basil, Swiss Chard, Lacianato Kale and a few Watermelon plants. Everything is peeking up through a lush ground cover of Vinca Vine and Creeping Jenny.
In the past I would look the other way when I walked past the front of my house and only use my back door just to avoid the eye sore of a space. But now the first thing I do in the morning is open my front door to say good morning to my garden. I greet it with a smile and pull some weeds. I water it's roots and then nibble on some herbs. And sometimes i just sit on my front steps and admire.
I've been wondering about your front garden; so exciting to see an update! I'm in a place of limbo as well, not planning on staying in this house much longer but I've really dug into my gardens this year which needed some rejuvenating. I've focused on one section at a time and for some reason, I've been able to visualize things in a way that I haven't been able to in the past 14 years that we've been here.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious: is the compost you use from your own kitchen scraps or do you bring it in from somewhere? My garden could use a big dose of compost. We've always used composted manure from local farms which has definitely helped to improve the hard clay soil, but some decomposing plant matter would really improve the soil structure.
hi there erin! long time no see. i used My Kitchen Harvest, a local composting service who makes it's compost at Hillside (where I work). he delivers too! it is really nice stuff. i have been using it in my pots and planters too.i linked to his website about a month ago in one of my posts. i highly recommend them!
Deletei absolutely love your front garden, amy. beautiful work, dear friend! :)
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