Joan's Little Garden

While I was working over the flower beds last week, Joan was whipping this garden into shape. Obviously this isn't a flower garden, despite the best efforts of the Sage and the Chives. But for a time this was a flower plot.

About a year after I moved in I planted a hundred or so Lilies and a similar number of Tulips in a rectangular space behind the garage. The result was very colorful, but the tall plants and high-density bulbs proved difficult to maintain.

After Joan moved in she planted a very small vegetable garden directly behind the Lilies. This was obviously a temporary measure, and we considered a number of alternate locations. All had significant drawbacks.

Eventually the difficult flower garden became an unholy mess. So we ripped it out, transplanted some of the flowers, and gave a few away. And Joan's veggie garden doubled in size.

It's not without problems. The clay seems impervious to improvement, and the Forsythias guarantee that the southern edge is in permanent shade. It remains a small garden.

But from time to time we've fresh broccoli, lettuce, green beans, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. It's a good thing.