There’s no denying the fact that spring is knocking at our door! Yesterday, the sun shone brightly as the winds raced across my high desert hide-away. The birds remain focused on their happy little songs, while I’m deep into planning my own backyard bliss.
This morning, while waking from a great night’s sleep, the most interesting item I found. An expandable wall of fake greenery. Yes!. Ivy-like greenery that is instant on an expandable frame. I can think of so many uses for this, including but not limited to, the side of the RV barn, which is expansive and bare, the back fence, which is also bare, and most of all, as a privacy shield near the new hot tub! As this stuff is rather pricey, I need to start with one panel and evaluate the uses.
I have rounded the bend and am now a true Senior Citizen.
For years, repulsed by fakery, I would look away at gardeners that chose plastic grass over the real thing. Just turned my head in horror. There’s no substitute for the soft, sweet smell of a freshly cut lawn, or the feel of soft grass as you lay down to look at the clouds above. Now, I find myself on the brink of installing fake lawn in my front yard. The times they are a changing.
In the high desert, the choice of landscaping material is rock. Sadly. Rather like living in a real life version of the Flint Stones. Red rock. White rock. Red and White rock. Tan rock. Big rock. Small rock. Decomposing rock. Sand. All sensible choices when water is at a premium price. Winterpast, however, is adorned in green. She may be the last of her kind, and I’m thrilled to be her care taker. I’ll make sure she gets a drink before I do. An oasis that I tend to with loving care. My back yard brings summer comfort with rustling leaves, funneling desert winds in just the right directions. It is truly paradise for me.
Considering plans for the the front yard, I have different thoughts. When I bought the house, it was time for a little change. Over the years, the plants had become unruly and overgrown. It was with change in mind that I had them removed last fall. Now, the yard is like an unpainted canvas, ready for splashes of color and a new plan. My plan is to make it inviting, with zero maintenance required. I have enough work in the backyard for two homes.
When considering options, I decided on fake lawn instead of white rock. Luscious, inviting, multi-height and colored leaf blades of grass, inviting enough to look like it needs a quick mow. Lawn at the perfect height and color, yet never requiring a drink or mow. Just an occasional sprinkling to remove the desert dust. PLASTIC LAWN. That will fit into my plans perfectly.
Along with that, I plan to rework a the large, curvy flower bed, replacing roses and shrubs. A dash of paint on the front door and porch railing, and the spring projects will be complete. Winterpast will, again, look like a million bucks.
Yard work is so many things to me. Time to think. A creative outlet with unlimited DYI projects awaiting. Science projects in the form of soil analysis and additives. Ecosystem analysis striving to find the right number of predators and prey. Sunshine and Vitamin D therapy. Bed-less-tanning with a side of cardio. All those things wrapped up into gardening.
In my neighborhood, it also means social interactions with helpful visitors. Working in the front yard promises plenty of conversations as the procession of walkers trickles by. In the high desert, it’s still customary to wave at every passing car with a toothy smile and large wave. Mask-less walkers stop to comment on the improvements with their own suggestions thrown in for good measure. It’s a happy place full of wonderful friends I have yet to meet. Winterpast is the place I’m thriving.
Gardens will share a lot about life with you if given a chance. The new buds of spring are ready to open, in spite of the frosts that are sure to come. No worries. They bud and leaf out again and again, always pointing towards the sun-filled days of spring. The cycles of life go round and round, affirming hope and faith in a bright today.
Ready for adventure? Look in your own back yard!