2020 Garden Summary
2020 was a tough year for humanity. With so much sacrifice and hardship, it can be hard to find a silver lining. As a hobby baker, I spent the first month of quarantine producing countless treats for the family. But after a few weeks, my family politely asked me to direct my energy elsewhere. :) I’d always wished I had more of a green thumb and being homebound gave me the perfect opportunity to try gardening in earnest. I started with one bed, but it didn’t take long before I was hooked. Then four more beds. And a makeshift greenhouse. And then we tore out all the grass and installed our new hardscape with stone pathways and a circle of raised beds. We also began to plant natives and started the path to our backyard habitat certification. What started out as a small activity to pass the time is now an integral part of our family routine, planning and joy.
‘No Lawn’ Remodel
Grass is not green. In October 2020, we tore out all the lawn and worked with contractors to put in hardscape, including stone pathways, a circle of raised beds and a pad for my greenhouse. I had been thinking about a design for many months prior and had the idea of a donut of beds in the center of the lawn with irregular paths branching out. Our landscape designer loved the idea and produced some outstanding drawings for us.
Our intent is to fill the raised beds every year with an assortment of annuals, both veggies and flowers. And for all the land that isn’t a raised bed or hardscape to be covered in perennial native plants that will benefit the critters in our little slice of the northwest.
Gallery
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