Make It Snappy

Day 298: Early on in the history of my garden, I tried snapdragons. Like most of the things I planted during that era, they failed miserably. Now after many years of soil amendments and care, the flower beds are sufficiently improved to support these traditional favourites.

Let's back up in the story. When I bought my home almost thirty years ago, the flower beds beneath the windows had been ignored for many years. They were entirely overgrown with grass and weeds to the point that the only thing which distinguished them from "yard" was a concrete walkway. That first spring, a friend helped me excavate them to a depth of about 18", and the two of us sifted the soil with our hands in the hopes of removing most of the weeds' roots. We replanted any tubers which looked like they might produce desirable plants, and thereby were able to salvage peonies, delphiniums and columbine. For the next four years, I was weeding on an almost daily basis, trying to rid the garden of nuisance species. It felt like a never-ending chore.

During this time, I planted annuals and shifted perennials around until I got them where I wanted them, and gradually, the weeds thinned out until one big "spring cleaning" and a vigilant eye were all that was needed to keep the flower beds in trim. Invariably, some annual would go to seed and the following spring, I'd be pulling lobelia or marigolds as well as clover and epilobium in order to keep with the year's changeable theme. I fertilized and added good-quality commercial soil. Eventually, I put in additional perennials, leaving a border and a few open spaces to fill with annuals so I could created a different look each year. Satisfied with the beds, my attention then turned to the bare yard and I began adding trees, shrubs and more flower beds, but that's another story. I'm happy that I was finally able to "make it snappy," even if it took thirty years.