A garden of my very own

 I was working most of the summer on a  small side garden... well not so small as it is almost 200 square feet now.  It started out small  as it was going to be just a narrow bed along the west side of the house.  But I kept removing sod and removing sod until I had planted the whole area.

This area is barely visible from the street and when the roses grow  on the fence it will not be visible at all.  You can't see it from any main living area in the house.  You can't see it from the deck and you   can't even see it when you are in the back garden unless you walk over to that area.  I added a large piece of wrought iron and a clematis on one side to hide it even further.

There is only one area with an excellent view of this garden and it is my bedroom window.  I look out at it  every morning as it is sleeping under frost and envision what it will be like in the spring,  Right now it is planted with peonies, daisies, perovskia, lavender, iris,  geraniums, and over 200 bulbs of tulips, daffodils, alliums and misc.  In addition there are two climbing roses and my favorite clematis Princess Diana And there is a bench just for me.  My special garden...my retreat.

Hopefully it will all grow even though the soil is mucky clay and river rock.  I amended it with compost and perlite with high hopes that  all the peonies I brought from the farm will survive.  It consumed my summer and seemed an endless task but even now without a green leaf in sight I can look at it out my bedroom window each morning and it fills me with delight, anticipation and a wonderful since of accomplishment.  It was a huge back-breaking endeavor...but I enjoyed every minute.  Starting an entirely new garden has been so healing.  Is this what I really want to do in my mid 80s....... YES!!!