In the Beginning...

Before anything else, there was hope. Then a dream. And now, it is time to plan and, when the snow melts, to take action.

I am a relatively new gardener with an urban lot that was given over by the previous elderly owners to swathes of gravel and clumps of grass struggling in hard clay.

There is a border of lovely mature spruce along the back and not much else. I want to change that.

You see, we had another house back in "BB" (Before Baby) and I became smitten with gardening. I will be learning as I go, but I am determined to bring this garden to life.

This blog will chronicle the changes to our northerly garden.

First of all, last summer, our first summer here, we took out the stumps that bordered the property and the falling down fence on one side. We got a new fence installed in early August so we would have a safe place to bring baby outside to play.

Because I simply couldn’t resist season-end sales, I bought a spiral Alberta dwarf spruce, two hydrangeas and a fernleaf bleeding heart in late August. I stopped myself there because there is just too much else to do before actual gardening can really begin.

Now I need to get rid of the gravel, bring in some topsoil and sod, and determine where my beds will be. Then I get to start planting.

Sound like a lot? It probably is, but that's what gardening is all about — digging in.

Check back as spring approaches here (no, not now, it’s only March and I have snow up past my shins out there). Let’s aim for April and I will update you as our plans and dreams begin to take shape.