The Newest Garden

 When we cut down the river birch tree, we were left with an almost circle of ground to do something with. We had a statue of the Blessed Virgin there and wanted to make a Mary's Garden where the tree once stood. The above picture shows just the beginning of our garden and the picture below shows it as it is today. It's been hard to start a new garden in this sweltering heat. The area used to have hostas that thrived in the shade of the tree, but now with no tree, they are struggling to survive. With the help of almost daily watering we have had some success in keeping them alive. I bought some other flowering plants to intersperse with the hostas.I am planning on some sort of edging for this bed and a planting of spring bulbs is planned too. Hopefully we will get rain and the ground will soften for that.As I sit in front of this garden during the evening...watching the sprinkler...little creatures come to get a drink. They hardly know that I'm there. Robins hear the water and come hopping to find a worm...a toad lives there under the hostas and he comes out for a drink. Butterflies flit by and swoop down to land on a leaf that is wet. I haven't seen the chipmunk since the hot weather began.. or the snake. I wonder what they're up to? 

Losing a big tree is a difficult thing. I knew that Joe had planted the river birch before I came to live here and wondered if it would bother him...having to take it down. He said the other day that he thought that he liked it better now...without the tree. I guess that answered my question.  Balisha