Reasons for keeping a garden guide

You know those little plastic plant name tags that you find in the plants? I keep them. Last fall I purchased more than a dozen perenniels, and I dutifully kept the tags, but forgot to log in where I planted things like japanese anenemones and dwarf indigo. I have the tags but I can't remember where I planted the plants! Very frustrating. So, I'm making a mental note to use my garden journal with specific details for where I've planted. Those little plantic tags are there for a reason.

Nevermore

It's not a backyard anymore. It's a collection of gardens.

How the back yard became a garden

Twenty years ago we moved into our lovely colonial style house in a quiet neighborhoodin the suburbs of Brookline. The backyard was beautiful and large enough for my children to play outdoors. We celebrated all of my young daughter's birthdays in June. We sectioned off a square to grow vegetables, but soon learned that the yard became more and more shady as spring moved to summer. Today in 2010 we have created outdoor spaces that have evolved into a charming sanctuary filled with hostas, cinnamon ferns, a tiny pond, climbing hydrangeas and a dwarf Japanese maple.

Getting Ready

Getting the back yard gardens ready for company has been a month-long adventure. Yesterday's rain brought down more branches and leaves and made the whole area quite soggy.