Well, I guess I have to admit I’m impulsive.

This is the second big project in a week I’ve dived (doven? divved?) into.

But, hey, it was done in an afternoon, and all that’s really left is watering and keeping the kids out f it.

It’s about 4 x 15 feet (click on the pictures to see what’s planted where) and I think it’s my first “real” garden, if I may define that as variety with planning.

The poppies and irises all came from seeds I picked at my parents’ old house years ago.  They’re established and have come back year after year.  Which, considering the way I abused them all today, I’m glad.

I’ve tried to keep all the perennials in front or to the left of the window, since Jay’s long-term plan is to build an arctic entryway out to the edge of the window, and planning now will save me transplanting later.

There is that little tree there that will have to be moved eventually, but it was so bitty and cute when we found it I enjoyed having it by the porch.  We’ll just wait for now and watch how fast it grows.

Natasha liked the idea of having all the “cooking plants” (the herbs) right at the front near the door.  The basil was sort of a fun find– there was a whole snarl of them bunched in a little 2″ pot, and I was able to separate them with little difficulty.  No telling how many of them will grow to the projected 18″, but they all are perky at present, which is more than I expected.

I had some wire fencing from Grandma’s garden, so I bordered the plot with that, hoping the plants will survive long enough to produce (I tried to put everything enticing to little fingers out of reach).

So there you are.  I turned the whole plot this morning (being careful of the established flowers) took the kids to pick out a handful of plants and seeds, then planted them all before Jay got home.

Of course, dinner wasn’t ready, and the mound of dirty laundry still sits and calls for sorting, but I feel a high measure of accomplishment.

I can’t remember ever thinking before how pretty clean, blank earth (i.e. sans weeds) looks.