According to my loose plan mentioned earlier, this fall I dug out the beds to connect the small shrubs planted in spring, thus extending the long border and ever so slowly reducing the giant lawn.
Both budgetary constraints and summer's high temperatures, which hit just after the first shrubs were planted, delayed this project. Though still very low and narrow, the connected bed appears more deliberate than the poor little shrubs all alone in the lawn.
One-gallon-gardening has its positive side. To watch plants grow from small babies into large vigorous shrubs is satisfying.
Though we all love instant gratification, I appreciate the beauty in a small new planting, especially while simultaneously imagining its future glory.
They grow quicker than you think!
A one gallon cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) planted last fall is gorgeous this year.
Our tiny bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is slow growing, but still useable for cooking at this size.
I'm looking forward to future comparison shots of this beauty berry (Callicarpa americana), which is currently lost in a bed of iris and leaves.
Pittosporum 'Wheeler's Dwarf,' planted early spring, sent out lots of new growth this fall.
The practice of gardening regularly teaches patience, delayed gratification, and humility.
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