To Plant A Garden

To plant a new garden space is a labor of love. Over the years, I have become a more thoughtful gardener. Thanks to my grandfather, as well as trial and error, I can grow tomatoes and cucumbers. My Granddad had a beautiful garden with a large variety of vegetables. He grew up on a farm and knew what was what in the garden. When we moved into our current home in 1990, the lot was bare. I wish I knew then what I know now. At any rate, I have learned about gardening on the plains, as well as gardening and the environment. Along the way, I have noticed the butterflies in the zinnias and the bees on the oregano flowers. 

Two or so years ago, my brother John died suddenly. A group of good friends gave me a generous gift card to a local nursery so we could plant something in our yard in his honor. John was a generous guy himself and he loved the outdoors. I don't know that he tended a garden but he loved to be out tromping fields with his black labs, hunting, and fishing. I decided to use the gift card toward a small pollinator garden. 

Last summer we had the utility company check the space for underground wiring. We debated about paying someone to dig up the space but didn't. Then we were too far into the summer to plant anything. This Spring my husband started to dig. In the course of a couple weeks, he took off the sod and removed some of the clay. Then he hauled in better soil and edged the space. This would be the labor of love part. 

I did the easy, fun part, shopping for plants. I worked from lists created by the University of Nebraska Extension Office and the Nebraska State Arboretum to choose plants that will tolerate sun and dry conditions while attracting pollinators.

I started with stepping stones salvaged from a tree being cut down in the neighborhood. The tree was not diseased and the wood grain was beautiful. I asked the guys taking out the tree how much they'd charge to slice off a few pieces. They said they'd do it for free so voila, stepping stones. I anchored one end of the bed with a butterfly bush and then circled around the stepping stones with lavender, a perennial salvia, speedwell, three kinds of coreopsis and blue flax. I scattered some cosmos and coneflower seed in a couple of places in the middle. The cosmos have germinated, the coneflowers have not so I need to replant them. In the past one of my mistakes was to over plant so I left plenty of space. I can fill in with plants as needed. 

We looped a drip hose around the plants and then my husband created a bunny fence, complete with a gate composed of the wooden stake, a twisty tie, and overlapping chicken wire. Several years ago, we put up a bunny fence without a gate around the vegetable patch. I fell into the garden a couple of times. It wasn't far to fall and the landing was soft but I'm getting too old to entertain the neighbors or break any old bones. 

Today apple blossom petals from a neighbor's tree dot the space. They seem like the proper blessing for a pollinator garden in honor of John. I'm heading out to turn on the drip hose, tend the garden, and whisper to the plants. This afternoon it is on to tomato plants, basil, thyme, and parsley. 

I wish you a weekend of gentle joy.