There is that lingering feeling of frustration, forgetting, having to do something that wakes one up at 4am. Seems like I am finding that routine once more – but I think it may be a good way to get things done…

My garden is a good reminder of how life goes on regardless of deadlines and things that come up. It is a source of peace, inspiration, instant gratification (going to the garden center & bringing home a new plant! Love that!!!), and frustration if weeds start to eek in.

I love that some plants go back for generations in gardens – like these Iris from a neighbors grandmothers garden that I was given. But then there are others that barely lasted a season without the deer or other critters eating & killing them… Frustrating at times!

We live on almost an acre in suburbia, mostly wooded but lots of yard and garden too. And I am accepting that I alone cannot keep all of the invasive weeds at bay, and I need help.

Help that makes me cringe – but it needs to be done. Since my main side hill garden is a slope – it needs to have ground cover. And thistle, Japanese stilt grass, garlic mustard, and various vines, sticker bushes, etc are taking over my attempts to plant and successfully maintain a "native plant garden". And the deer eating the foliage of those native plants – and the voles eating the roots of many in winter – just is not helping!

So out come the plants I want that are viable. The rest are composted if not planted on the opposite side yard where our property ends and the neighbors downhill slope begins. Then out comes the tiller, the rake, the weed killer and in goes the grass (this is the "plan").

Then as I can, I will create a better plan, divide up those perennials, and take back areas on my side hill for gardening and get rid of the grass. The problem I have with this lies within the grass not having any ecological value. But it will allow me to get rid of the invasive plants by mowing and focus on the large areas of garden that do remain and making them better ecological niches.

Because really – I would rather spend my time in the garden looking for fairies and smurfs than trying to pull out thistle and stilt grass…

Now back into the bead studio while the kids are in school so I can get orders completed and Bead and Button Show inventory created (booth #610).