
Life was different this weekend. The majority of it was spent outside, in the fresh air, working and breathing deep, being once again in the garden. It was the first garden work day of 2011, and today's sore legs and lower back are proof, beyond the two truckloads of yard debris we hauled away, there was much to do.
Last fall we left the garden for the birds, and after some major editing, didn't refill some major holes in the garden beds. Perennials needed to be cut down, and tough love has begun on some much needed pruning.
Proof of tough love:

Copicing one of three black elderberries in the garden: this one will be more of a shrub than a tree, thanks to tough love.
It's so bare in our garden, form and structure are apparent, so tough love was applied to wisteria, dogwood, and a variety of shrubs. More proof of tough love:

The wisteria responds well to tough love, and without it, will grow into our roof line. No no.
There are no beautiful photos of lush garden to share with you, no flowing waves of pink blooms and black foliage. Now is the time of year I relish the excitement of uncovering a wee bed of tiny violets in bloom, the lichen on the north facing tree trunks, and the bright green moss covering one side of the fence:

Okay yes, I may have over saturated the photo a bit from reality, but still, it's pretty green with moss.
Crowns are forming on the base of sedum, and bulbs are showing themselves a few inches above soil. I haven't taken tough love to the roses yet, but that's a whole other (dangerous) day I'll tackle in the coming month, hopefully if we're gifted with a day like Saturday. This year, the roses are getting a hard prune.
This Saturday was a return to self. A return to seeing the sun, shadow, and colors. I saw Mt Hood in her majestic snow-cloaked glory, and the colors of buildings warm in the rosy sunshine. I could have sworn Mt Hood had shades of pink, too. We visited with neighbor after neighbor, many greeting for the first time of the year. Gardening in your front yard is like that. We caught up on lives, gardens, summer plans and dogs. Yes, there was a lot of laughter in there too, and maybe some neighborly gossip.
Soon my gardening column at Just Out will begin again for the season, and already, I've been visiting my favorite and new favorite garden blogs, dreaming and taking notes for the coming year. I talked with a grower at the Hillsdale Farmers Market this weekend, and new connections are being made. It's starting to feel abuzz a bit, and the little things AdRi and I experienced together this weekend—like finding ladybugs alive and kicking among the composting leaves and getting buzzed by hummers drinking from the feeder—reminded us of life in the garden. As it awakes, so do we.