I am a gardening geek. I love to get outside in the spring to see what plants are peeking through the wet, still-frozen ground. To me, there is nothing better than seeing a new flower on a carefully-tended plant or a vegetable ripe for the picking in my community garden.
When I moved a few years ago, I inherited a small shady garden under a healthy looking pine tree. The garden had been untended for several years, and was an overgrown mess. At first, just looking at the space felt overwhelming, but my strategy to slowly pick away at what I could do in small amounts of time paid off. I began by clearing out an invasive ground cover. Then I sprinkled the garden with a few shade-loving hostas and ferns. And finally, I had the pleasure planting a few colorful specimens in the front of the garden for show. It took me a couple of years, but now when I look out my back door, I see an inviting space that has color and texture.
