Gardening is great for the aesthetics, soul, and waistline

Yesterday I finally got around to planting.  I had gotten the plants a week before, but just didn't feel like planting. I looked at the forecast and our schedule and realized I needed to do it now as the rains were coming and I would prefer the plants to get a good soaking in the ground than in their little pots. So, I set to work yesterday.

First, I had to weed. I barely had any weeds in the front garden, but had tons in the side and back gardens. After weeding everything, I started planting in the front yard, moved to do the two side yard flower beds, and finished in the two back yard flower beds. Near dusk I planted the 11 deck planters, the two raised herb planters and all the pots and baskets in the front yard (10 of them).  I finished the day by walking around collecting all the now empty plastic pots. That's all I had the energy or the time for yesterday. I was SPENT. I spent at least 7 hours on gardening and yard work yesterday and I felt great about it.


When I woke up today, I was so sore, but also the scale gave me a big present. I was down 1.4 pounds from yesterday. When I tabulated my food and exercise from yesterday, it predicted I lost half a pound with just gardening for exercise and that was way underestimating how much I did.

I have a couple appointments today, but between them, I did some minor gardening. Last year I got a toad house and made it into a gnome garden.  This year I found a second smaller house and expanded the gnome garden.  Last year on a huge clearance sale I got stuff to make a fairy garden, but never got around to it. I started on that today. It's going to be so cute! I am making one pot the fairy home, but then throughout the container garden on the deck I will make little vignettes in the plants showing other fairy hiding spots.  I can't wait to get it all set up!


So, the gardening was definitely good for the waist line!  But as I look around my yard, I realize it makes our home look better, and getting out and digging in the dirt is just good for the soul.  There is something deeply satisfying about gardening. I only wish I could grow food! Our 4 figs in enormous pots all died this winter as it got toooooo cold. Though, one of them has sprouted at the roots, so it didn't completely die, but it's starting over.  Also, of the things I planted yesterday, I planted perilla, which is great for salad, sushi, using like grape leaves too for things like dolmades. I am seriously hoping the rabbits, deer, and groundhogs have no interest in it!

And, while all the gardening and planting is not all done, here are several photos of the cute stuff - the gnome garden and the beginnings of the fairy sanctuary. First photo is the path leading from the driveway to our front door. My husband and I put that in two years ago. Last year I made a gnome garden. This is how it looked a few days ago before I added the second house and more little perennials around it. It gives you an idea of scale:

Now how it looks with more things added to it:

 

Then, the container garden will become the fairy sanctuary. I haven't gotten the plants into the pots or made the little vignettes yet, but I think it will be darling. Here's the start of it. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to put in the glass house. Right now I have some mini fountains and pots and a bench, but those will probably get spread around to other pots nearby for other "park like" spots for a fairy to visit. I like the start though!

And here is how it looks if you step back (without the plants in their pots yet):

And all the rest of the fairy stuff I have to put around yet! I am not loving all the different colors - black, white, sage, brown... I might spray paint it all one color so the look like they belong together as a group.