Work in progress

Jack and I recently gave our bathroom a much needed facelift. With the new look, I decided to paint a mural on one of the bathroom walls. I started, of course, while Jack was still at work. It’s just much easier to explain projects after I’ve started them instead of before. It was a multi-day project though, so before Jack came home from work that first day, I painted a sign which said “Work in Progress.”

I think I need about a dozen of those signs. I look around the house and think, “Yep, I could use one of those signs here, or there, or there.” But where I should make a permanent “work in progress” sign is in the garden.

When I first began gardening, decades ago, someone told me that the only “finished garden is a dead garden.” Thankfully, I can say that my garden is definitely not finished!

Even now, in the middle of November, as I walk around the back garden I am amazed at the work in progress. Half the garden, it seems, is already getting ready for spring. English primrose, creeping blue phlox, grape hyacinth, and forget-me-nots are all putting out new growth, seemingly okay with the cold, wet months ahead. They do it every year, so I’m assuming they’re okay with what’s to come. For everything there is a season.

I, too, am getting ready for spring, taking out a lot of plants, such as English Ivy, lenten rose and autumn fern, which have exceeded their allotted space and are crowding out other things. I’m dedicated to the idea of planting more natives for the native pollinators so I’m pulling out aggressive, invasive plants that offer little use to the ecosystem, making room for plants that serve an environmental purpose.

I’m happy that I live in a place where I can get out and garden almost all year long, though I, too, am aware of the wet and cold months ahead. But today the sun is glorious, the sky is an indescribable blue and the air is crisp. Today, I think I’ll hang the “work in progress” sign on the garden gate. Better yet, I’ll hang it around my neck!