Zach and I bought our first home in January 2010. One of the selling points of the property was the beautiful landscaping. When my mother first saw the house, she commented that we wouldn’t have to do a lot of mowing. This sounded like a good thing since we’d been living in a one bedroom, one bathroom condo in the city. Now I recall that comment, and wonder if Mama was secretly laughing at us. Because while we don’t have a lot to mow, we do have plenty of yard to maintain. Instead of patches of grass to trim, our front, side and back yards are like huge flower beds filled with flowers, bushes and trees.
While intimidated, we were gung ho about taking care of our place. I was ready to plant herbs and Zach came up with the sweet idea of planting a tree to commemorate our first year in the house. When spring arrived, I could barely keep up with taking photographs of the flora. It seemed like every day a new bloom or shoot of green would burst from the ground. We decided to postpone any new plantings until we could get a handle on the what, where and when of our gardens. Someone had invested a lot in timing out all the wonders and we needed to protect that investment.
The couple that sold us our home never planned to leave it. Joan and Larry lived in the house for 30 years until Joan fell and quickly became too ill to manage the stairs. Larry’s health diminished, too, and they both moved into an assisted living facility. Their son took over their trust and had to sell the house to provide for their care.
Antique doors that once overlooked the Hudson River in New York serve as an entry to a snowy back yard in Atlanta. December 2010.
Our closing day was bittersweet. Larry was there in a wheelchair. He told us stories about different parts of the house while Zach signed and initialed things in triplicate. Originally from New York, Larry and Joan shipped an antique door that once overlooked the Hudson River to Atlanta. Its beautiful carved woodwork now opens up to the back yard.
Larry and Joan loved art. Track lighting at the top of the stairs once illuminated Larry’s original works. The crawlspace still houses some of his framing tools. A huge bowed picture window provides a beautiful view of the back yard from inside the house. Larry seemed very proud of that part of the house at the closing.
We asked him who was responsible for all the outside “artwork.” Larry told us that was his wife’s canvas. Sometimes when I’m outside raking or weeding, I wonder what Joan would say if she saw her gardens today. I know she must miss seeing the variegated camellias, clusters of azaleas and white dogwoods each spring. At this time of year, the roses are so plentiful that we can barely keep them deadheaded.
I’ve made a couple of attempts at growing herbs and tomatoes from seeds, but it’s a tricky prospect for someone who’s never had a green thumb. Plus, the yards are filled with tall trees that block a lot of sun. This year’s herbs rest on our front porch where they seek the most full sunshine. We’re learning as we go along. I wonder if we’ll still marvel at the wonders of Joan’s gardens in our tenth or 20th years in the house. Will we still appreciate them as much as we do today? I think so.
