A few weeks ago after a particularly nasty bout with the flu, I came out of hibernation and spent a Saturday afternoon hacking away in my front garden. Though it’s been a mild winter, I still had spent flowers, broken stems, and other unsightly trash to take care of — and I would argue that the time I spent outside was the best medicine of all. The kitten enjoyed it too — he rolled around on the front stoop in the sunshine like he’d never been out in the fresh air before.

I was inspired to get moving since I’d just ordered Gayla Trail‘s entire catalog of books. I’ve been a longtime fan of her blog You Grow Girl, but new book, Easy Growing, was published last month and features loads and loads of great ideas on growing edible herbs and flowers. And of course it got me hyperventilating for summertime. Can. not. wait.

Another gardening book I recently grabbed was Fern Richardson’s Small-Space Container Gardens. I’ve been reading her Life on the Balcony blog for a couple of years now and look forward to digging in this weekend — especially since Marie Viljoen’s terrace is on the front cover. (Why hello, Don Estorbo!)

It makes me so happy to support the work of the blogs I read. Awesome work, ladies!

To get myself in gear and start planning for this year, I dredged up some late-season photos from last summer. One golden fall afternoon before that freak snowstorm flattened all our hard work, I took my Mamiya out for a spin to enjoy the zinnias and coleus, Montauk daisies and sedum that were all in bloom.

I can’t wait for this view again.

It’s been quite awhile since I posted any photos of my garden, but I am happy to report that the first year experiment went pretty much according to plan! It’s crazy to look back at those before and after pictures and think what a wreck the front garden was only four months ago. We’ve made a lot of progress this year.

Sure, some plants had a rough go of it (I’m looking at you, blueberry bush), but others did remarkably well. The salvia, yarrow, and butterfly bushes have gotten nice and full and lush, while several of the sedum have done a great job of filling in the front of the garden. Confusingly, other varieties of sedum have done great in containers while their counterparts in the garden haven’t hardly grown at all. And of course, all the herbs loved how much south-facing sun the yard gets — I’m pretty sure the Thai basil would mutiny if it could.

But the showstoppers? The single packet of zinnia seeds I planted with the neighbor kids. We had to replant the seedlings and they nearly died in the process, but they have been blooming for more than six weeks now (!) and they’re showing no signs of giving up. Here are some photos from the last month of summer in the garden, and Grandma — these are for you!

above: An explosion of herbs, zinnias and soft fronds of calamintha along the sidewalk.
below: The bees are in love with all of it!


above: The zinnias grew from seed and have been blooming for more than six weeks!
below: Up close and personal with the butterfly bush, and tiny purple blossoms on the thyme are so delicate.


above: I am so impressed with the zinnia’s range of colors, but these hot pink blooms are my favorite.
below: The sedum has begun to bloom! And I’m pretty sure these tall flowers are weeds, but I didn’t have the heart to pull them up.

Earlier this week I was super excited to see that The Awl published a feature on tiny urban gardens — including mine! Writer Jessica Machado came to visit us a few weeks ago and check out the work we’ve been doing, and I’m so pleased to see her article.

Also included in her round-up is one of my favorite Brooklyn gardening blogs – Chris Phillips and Rich Powell of Brooklyn Roof Garden. And as a bonus, Jessica also solved the mystery of who maintains one of my favorite South Slope gardens (on 6th Avenue near 16th Street, close to my old apartment) — Michiko Okochi!

Check out the full article over at The Awl while I go fill up the ol’ watering can.