The Medium

Last spring in the midst of an enormous remodel we built 2 raised vegetable beds in the front yard, replacing our tomato beds we built in 2003. The new beds total about 110 square feet. This year we plan to add 3 more, the size and location of which have yet to be determined. The challenge is that our front addition diminished our afternoon sunlight while at the same time our boulevard trees continue to thrive, thus shading our yard for longer periods in the morning. We also need to find a balance between aesthetics and practicality; it needs to both be appealing as a landscape feature while standing up to our day-to-day gardening exploits.

We no longer have chickens in the backyard as we gave them away in the fall. It was time for a break. When the boys are old enough to participate in the care of the hens we will build a new coop and raise chickens once more. We also hope to redo the backyard now that the chickens are gone. This will give the boys a little more room to roam when we're at home, and possibly more room to grow food or flowers - or both.

Our lovely aspaliered apple trees are yet to produce a bumper crop but I am hopeful this might be their year. John labors so delicately over them and I know he anticipates the spring when the buds swell. He meticulously inspects them, theorizing which ones may be blossoms. The rest of our cane fruits and berries are all doing well, despite our ongoing transplanting to different areas of the yard.

My other passion in the yard is my new perennial bed. Now in addition to the boulevard flower beds I have about one third of the front yard with flowering shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses. My inspiration comes from the many lovely butterfly gardens nearby and I hope the monarchs come to our yard in a few years. We are just beginning to establish their host plants so it will probably take them a season or two to find us.