There were serious things to do before I could get serious about my gardens.


This was the front - (also in Spring) before any construction or digging. The shrubs at the front were too big and overgrown - they had to go before the diggers came.


In spite of my wanting a garden right away, there were some other considerations that made my priorities take second place. Like water in the basement, which  meant digging a large ditch around the foundation.

Besides the ditch, we insulated and put up a water barrier, so those shrubs all had to be moved - and would go to another home.  There was also a very large Barberry (Berberis) in the far right corner of the house that prevented  any side access to the back. It was overgrown and quite thorny and had either be moved or gotten rid of.  We decided to move it.

From the front garden, I really only wanted to save the wee Japanese Maple. You can see it here smushed (carefully, the digger-man says) up against the house in a pile of earth.  I kept telling the poor thing that all would be well and in a few days, (which turned out to be more than a week - eek !)- it would have a nice home and be part of another garden with  new friends.

I am not sure it believed me, but the brave little tree lost not one leaf.

Amidst all the chaos, and the very large teeth of the digger, stones, noise and dust,  the little tree remained brave and intact. “They” say these are hard to grow and are not too hardy.  I (we- he and I ) intended to prove them wrong.

But, there was also, the Barberry.....