My Cottage Garden Survived the Three Weeks Away

I hadn't planned on being away for three weeks, because I didn't think Bruce would be in the hospital in Toronto that long, so I hadn't made provisions for my cottage garden.  But God sent the rain, and the weeds almost couldn't compete with my vigorous annuals and perennials. Other than some dead heading and a bit of weed control, I really am not that far behind on my postage stamp, trailer, cottage garden.

I like a garden bed that will withstand some neglect.  Here is how I start my beds: Flower Beds  and for some ideas check Flower Beds and Borders

If you need help with planning read A guide to Planning Garden Beds

A Two Year Process

I was asked on a comment on my last post about how long I had been working on my garden.  I couldn't quite remember.  So much had changed that it was hard to remember back to what it was.  I had to go back to my photo files.

 This is the way it looked when we had our first look.  There was lawn under the snow, on both sides of the fence.  The clothes line was the dominant feature of the side yard.

In May of 2009, a little more than two years ago, before we even took possession I was pulling the weeds away from the few daffodils hugging the side of the house.  I remember the former owner asking if I wanted to buy her grass trimmer.  My answer was that I wouldn't need one.  There would be no grass to trim.


As soon as we moved in we got rid of the fence and the tree stump and the tree whose roots were causing damage.  I started digging up the grass, and planting what I could scrounge up.  I also bought a couple of rose bushes on sale.

I knew a field where flat rocks were available and our city has a compost site not far from us.  I used newspapers underneath the raised beds of compost to discourage weeds from coming through.

I was able to get quite a few annuals for next to nothing when the beds were done because the season was half way over.

I also planted a few vegetables like cucumbers in the planter and beans, both as a border and for climbing.  We picked up the bench arbor at an outlet that had it cheap because it was missing a couple of caps.

It wasn't until the second year(last year)  that I painted the deck white.  Last spring I was able to get one of the grape vines that I had started at the last house we had.  I didn't expect it to do much the first year, but it took off.

Even though during the summer of 2010 I was at the hospital with my husband most of the time, the garden continued to mature and bless me when I came home exhausted at night.  And even when I was away for almost a month in Toronto while Bruce had his heart valve replaced, the garden kept up a cheerful front.

I thank the Lord for the outlet of my garden during those trying days.  The beauty of God's creation can really be a healing balm in times of trouble. 

This year I have expended a lot of effort into vegetable gardening in two different plots, but my flower garden continues to bless both my husband and myself, as well as being a way of interacting with my neighbors and their children.

Are my dreams bigger than my stamina?

As we moved from place to place my cottage gardens got bigger and bigger until they were almost more than I could handle.  The garden in Paisley was lovely, (The people who bought the house said it added $10,000.00 to the value of the house) but keeping up with it was a full time job.

The next place had a smaller lot and I loved working the cottage garden I created there, but then we got called to teach at a  Reservation up north for part of the time and I started to wonder if I shouldn't cut back some more.

When we finished on the reserve we bought a mobile home on a tiny lot and I immediately got rid of all the grass to satisfy my garden craving.

But it wasn't quite enough, so I got a 10 x 30 ft garden plot across the street, and helped a daughter with another.

This year spring fever hit me hard.  I offered to help one of my daughters revamp a small garden bed, another daughter is going to let me work in her big back yard adding some of my own plants and making the beds bigger, and the twelve year old across the lane wants me to help her start a garden in front of her trailer.

I may be as busy this year as when I had the big garden in Paisley.