Garden Journal

This summer will be the 5th since I inherited the care and stewardship of my Mother's garden. It was her Mother's before her, and working in it gives me great peace and a place to feel close to them both. We have great conversations (in my mind) while weeding away an afternoon.
In the beginning I was reluctant, for mostly emotional reasons, to change anything about the garden. But time passes, and I am moving away from those first days of simply watching in wonder while plants I had no knowledge of bloomed and faded, and others took their place. I am slowly learning what to cut back, which plants the pests like to lunch on, where the afternoon sun falls. The main thing I'd like to address now is a better succession of blooms; from mid spring to mid summer it's a perfectly orchestrated mix - Iris, Lilies, Peonies, Roses, Coreopsis, Daisies. But late summer into fall is a bit of an empty slate. Some phlox for August, and a bit of sedum in September, but for the most part that time of year is not well represented.

Are there any gardeners out there who can give a novice some advice?

In the meantime, here is my first bloom: April Daffodils.  Stay tuned!