My Favorite part of the beginning of Spring is switching out the Garden with Fresh Plants and preparing it for a New Harvest of Herbs, Veggies and Florals. I wander the local Nurseries looking for the healthiest and greatest variety of Fresh Herbs for our Annual Sensory Garden, which will be planted first. This is the first Sign that Spring has Arrived at Bohemian Valhalla! And I spent the past few days clearing out old plantings then Potting and Renewing the Front Porch with Flowering Rosemary Bushes...
Peppermint...
Chocolate Mint...
Spearmint...
Sweet Basil...
Oregano...
Lemon Balm...
Orange Citrus Mint...
Sweet Mint...
And Cilantro...
These will immediately begin Gracing our Fresh Salads...
and Herbal Teas during our Mad Tea Parties which will all be Alfresco now that the Weather is so Glorious...
Source: Mother Earth Living.com
Our Home-Made Bath Salts... Home-Made Bath Oils...
Source: Naturopathica.tumblr.com
And Bath Bouquets...
Most Herbs, and Mints in particular, are very easy to grow and will provide abundant Harvests and Sensory Delights... and they can be had for a bargain this time of Year so you needn't grow all of them from Seed. Though once they get Established they'll spring up Year after Year from Seed they set the Season before, so I do allow mine to Flower and set Seed too. But we Enjoy the Instant Harvest of Young Nursery Plants and adding to our Selection.
And it makes the Front Porch smell Divine... though we do plant some in the Veggie and Herb Gardens out back as well. But on the Porch they're safe from the dreaded Gophers that Raid the Garden, often outwit the Bohemian Cat Boys and Enjoy the Harvest planted in the ground as much as we do! *LOL* So Potting many of our Favs ensures that Gopher Raids don't decimate all of our Hard Work and Investment.
This Season I was very harsh on my Clear-Out of the plantings from previous Years and started practically from scratch again. I kept some hardy Ivy, Spider Plants and Ice Plants that have been flourishing and require little upkeep. But in the Desert, come late Spring and Summer, it's a lot of Work and Expense to keep most other Non-Native Plants Alive and Well, so except for those we will Harvest to Eat and Use often, the rest were taken out to make Daily Life easier for me once the Weather gets fiercely Hot this Year.
Most of our Acreage is Desert Landscape and Xeriscape with Native Plants that don't need any help from me to Survive anyway... and we'll get plenty of Vivid Cactus Blossoms, Palo Verde Blossoms, Ironwood Tree Blossoms, Mesquite Blossoms, Creosote Blossoms, Yucca, Aloe, Ice Plant Blossoms, Bougainvillia, Desert Wildflowers and Desert Sages to make up for the loss of the Non-Native species I've taken out.
I Love to Garden... but I just don't have the Time, Energy or Resources to spend Daily tending to anything but a Low Maintenance Garden this Year and my Goal of Simplifying must extend to our Outdoor Living Spaces as well as the Interior ones. I knew it was the Best decision to make and it was much easier to Plan and Implement a Simplified Garden.
It gave everything a much Tidier and Streamlined look and I'm finding myself Embracing Simplicity more and more as it Frees up more Precious Time to do other things that I want to Enjoy rather than Maintaining Stuff and dealing with Excess.
The less I have to take care of, the more Liberating it becomes and the more I can concentrate on what really matters to me and give it my Full Attention and Focus Energy in those directions.
And anytime I begin a Project Outside... well... everyone has to get in on the Act! *Winks* Kids and Cats Embrace Change Wholeheartedly and Lead by Example of how it should be done... even the normally Elusive Rusty is making more Appearances out on the Porch and expressing his Approval! Note to Self: Find and Plant some Catnip just for the Bohemian Cat Boys and Yul!
Even the smallest Changes Delight them and they want to be an intricate part of it all, their Enthusiasm is contagious... so I've had Kids and Cats hanging out with me during the Process, Curious to see what's going on and Helping in their own ways. And its nice to see them all hanging out in the areas I've Cleared Out and Transformed already... and builds momentum to tackle the rest in upcoming weeks. After all, these are the things that make a House a Home and more Welcoming and Inviting.
And this Season I want to further blur the distinction between Inside and Out... bringing some of the Inside Out and the Outside In.
And start Decorating for Easter...
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian