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A is for… April Ambitions

The week before last, Spring was in full force, with temperatures getting all the way into the 80s. So, like many overly excited gardeners, my daughter and I were ready to hit the dirt. We agonized over just the right spot in the yard, but finally settled on a spot with a wind break from the north and east but plenty of sun. We even chose a smaller area within the larger garden for her to have her own little garden, fenced and all, that also offers a partial shade area, so she can have some plants in all sun, while she, herself, is able to have fun playing with sand, water, dirt, chalk, and you-name-it in the shade. We even planned out a path that leads to a secret garden area, which will be the most ambitious planting area of all, because we have some structures in mind for that part, as well.

I also thought I might find some plain garden rabbits and paint them up to have more of an Alice and Wonderland feel, like these:


Source: Etsy

What do you think? What other small things would you add around a secret garden area? Foxes? Fairies? The secret garden area will hopefully have a whimsical feel that separates it from the rest of the garden. I really want to it feel like you’ve stepped into a completely different space when you get it to it.

I plan to have a couple different areas for working outside (reading, writing, and editing mostly), as well as create a designated outdoor office within the secret garden. That little area is really the peek of my ambition, so it’s going to be hard waiting to see what works and what doesn’t (in regard to office functionality, heat, air-flow brightness, and bugs) so that only the what-works gets added in the final area.

Anyway… with our areas all decided, the next step was to decide on plants. She chose most all the plants in the catalog, and I choose a few choice perennials to get things going this year, keeping in mind I want it to be an evolving garden each year. Grapevines, climbing roses, roses bushes, and some decorative trees are what I’m focusing on this year, along with all the annual vegetables. Rosebud seems to be focused on color—as in, if the catalog has a picture of it in color, it’s a keeper.

But… now we’re stuck. Forced to wait. There are too many weeks between us and the last frost date.

So, it seems like a perfect time to fill the rest of the wait with a new (and indoors) challenge: I’m beginning the April A-Z Blogging Challenge (more info here: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/). Along with that, I’m continuing to plan and put in the garden structures, spring cleaning and redecorating, beginning a new series in a genre and readership I’ve always enjoyed but never tried writing (Cozy Mysteries), and a few other business-related things that will correlate well with a letter-of-the-day schedule. This is where my ambition is already nipping at my heels, though, because as I begin to fill in my schedule with assignments, I can already see how if one day goes awry, the whole month will soon become a snarfblat of kablooey. Still, I’m of the right personality type that the reality of that motivates me, rather than dissuades me.

What about you? Are you starting anything new and exciting this month? Are you ready for garden season?

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12 Comments

  • It would be awesome if you had dragonflies, butterflies, and a few owls in the secret garden!

    • Jessica S says:

      I love idea for dragonflies! Think they’d work like scarcrows for wasps?

      • Ooooohhhh, I hope so. Does planting basil work on wasps? Or just help with mosquitos. You will have a garden gnome, right? You need a squirrel too. His name will be Jeff…

        • Jessica S says:

          They don’t like the smell of it and a few others, nor do they like the smell of mint and eucalyptus, but mint is invasive and eucalyptus is toxic to animals. My plan is to plant the deterrents close to seating areas, but I haven’t figured a way to incorporate eucalyptus in a way that would keep the animals safe. Right now, I’m playing around with the idea of pots and large bird cages to go around them and then maybe placing fake birds on the branches as it grows. I need to do more research on winter care, though. As for the garden gnome–absolutely not. LOL

  • Hi Jessica,

    Happy Easter! I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing weekend, even if it was a bit nippy outside.

    The major thing I’m starting new in my life, actually last month, was to set up my own publishing company called Story Catcher Publishing (https://www.storycatcherpublishing.com) . My last published book became an international best seller last fall, so now I feel it’s the right time to pursue an indie path for my young adult fantasy novel. I hope my efforts are as fruitful as I hope your lovely garden will be!

    Take care,

    Donna L Martin

  • Tabitha says:

    I created a magic garden to honour my brother who passed when I was a child. In my garden I have mushrooms (ceramic) lots of veggies and flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, a couple of fairy houses and lots of other bits and bobs. The best things we added was an old chest of drawers. We grow flowers in the drawers now. Have fun with your garden x

    • Jessica S says:

      Oh, Tabitha! I’m so sorry for your loss. 🙁 What a wonderful way to honour his memory, though! I love the idea of remembrance through continued care and interaction. I have a small sitting area I’d planned for something similar, but I hadn’t thought about making it more large-scale than that. I’m going to give what you’ve said some thought and maybe reorganize some of my plans.

  • Beth Lapin says:

    Love the rabbits, especially as that’s what my last name means in French!

    Beth
    https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/

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About Me
JessicaJessica Schmeidler is a professional editor, ghostwriter, literary agent, and homeschooling mompreneur. While still in college, she began working from home, starting her own business soon thereafter. In 2015 she founded Golden Wheat Literary. If she's not inside reading, writing, or editing, she's outside with her daughter, riding her horses, annoying the chickens, or playing in the garden. Read More
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