Taking Back Our Garden from the Wilderness

Well, there it is, our lovely home in the afternoon sun.

Things have sure grown up, since we moved here.

What I suppose I will think of as "The Red Dragonfly Years" added a certain air of neglect... which isn't really neglect so much as a lack of time and energy.

I look forward to resuming the quest to create something that resembles an English garden. Or, at least, something that is our garden, reclaimed...

The lawn... and so many other things have gotten away from me.

Some parts look pretty respectable, all in all, like the lower driveway area. Nothing that a good lawn mowing can't maintain. Trim a tree here, cut back a shrub there...

We have a shrubbery!

I mowed today... or at least tried to get a little further along.

The thickness of the grass (and weeds) and the pervasive mist and rain have made mowing much like trying to create creamed spinach with a lawn mower.

Not proud of that thicket down at the end, though.

The foreground looks OK, though... even if it's mostly weeds.

At least Daisy has a place to poop, without getting her butthole in the weeds!

Eventually, I'll get to those weedy bits down there, as well.

But we have lots of lovely things going on, as well. And those are worth celebrating. I don't want to get all mopey, because I do love this place... and all it needs is a little more time and care. Funny... how important "time" becomes, sometimes.

The eucalyptus tree is blooming!

That's the second time, since we moved here.

Funny how eucalyptus trees aren't even supposed to grow here, but we have the 2nd largest eucalyptus tree in Port Townsend.

Eucalyptus trees also aren't supposed to bloom, here... so much for the whole "supposed to" gig... but we are well aware that we have a garden filled with "not supposed to's." I actually rather like that whole idea... and I am sure we will develop new "not supposed to's" in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, another not-supposed-to, also known as the Princess Tree, is now blooming quite well.

I suppose its only real "concession" to living this far north is that it sets bloom and leafs out much later than the native plants.

They don't really get a lot of snow in South-East Asia, but I'm guessing certain sub-varietals of these grow in mountain regions, and that's the kind we have out there.

Well, it's getting pretty late in the day, and I should get this out and published... another little reminder of our surroundings, and a snapshot of what is happening in the garden as time moves by.

Meanwhile, I'll close out for today with a shot of the first white iris of the season. Noticed it earlier, when I was mowing behind the labyrinth.

Means the rest of them can't be far behind.