Gardens Of Joy

We are getting close to our return to cruising aboard our Alberg 35, Mystic. We will head east to visit family in Connecticut and reunite with our floating home at Frank Hall Marina in Rhode Island. This has been a long time coming. Delayed by the pandemic for over two months, we are excited to get this show on the road.

One positive part of the Covid-19 pandemic would be how we used our time in isolation. We got a LOT done during the long wait. From home projects to boat projects, we wasted no time knocking items off our to do lists. In between it all, I gardened.

Gardening has always been therapy for me; my personal form of meditation. I spent a lot of time stooped over, squatting with knees deep in the fresh dirt over the years. I often joke that I've had my nails done when I've been in the gardens without gloves and my nails are caked up with fresh dirt. I haven't had a lot of time to plant and sow since we began cruising four years ago. This year, I'm back at it. I almost forgot how much I love it!

When we bought our house 29 years ago it was in a dreadful state of neglect. We were young with small children and had little extra money to spare. I tackled the yard because it only required hard work, not money to improve. I began digging up sections of our yard and transplanted irises and day lilies that I found in the weeds. Neighbors saw my work and offered me plants when they split their own. Slowly our yard began to look cared for.

Each Mother's Day I would spend my $20 limit on flowers; at first buying annuals because they were cheaper which allowed me to get a larger quantity. In time, I began to spend my money on perennials that I could then split and spread throughout our yard. I learned about native plants and started adding them to our growing gardens. I grouped plants that bloomed in stages so my yard was in a constant wave of color change. At one point, I drew designs of my yard and gardens that helped me remember the names of all the plants. This spring, my gardens look better than ever!

Columbine

Native plant, Prairie Smoke

Jack in the Pulpet

My front wall of phlox bloomed gloriously
and got a lot of attention this spring

As we wrap up our winter life in Minnesota, I realize that we're preparing to trade passions. Minnesota summers are glorious, the winters harsh. It would be nice if we could switch our sailing season to the winter months. I would love to spend the summer months digging and nurturing the gardens that surround our land home, and it would be nice to get out of the great white north during the brutal winter months. Once we get Mystic back to the great lakes, we'll begin to work on this transition.

A small section of my boulevard

Porch and rock paths

Hops around the window

Ladie's Mantle catching dew

Iris along tiered garden

Back yard ferns and hostas

Back yard gardens bordering the ravine

Solomon's Seal

More rock paths

Front porch view from the East

Front wall phlox and blooming forsythia

My phlox wall was gorgeous this year

New garden to help with drainage

Blueberries covered in blooms

View from 2nd floor of garage

Iris bed

Peony, only 1 bloom this year

Dianthus