For months now I’ve been doing more dreaming than digging in the garden. I’ve been dreaming about how the garden will look in the spring (since this will be our first full spring in the house), and about how we will transform our outdoor space into a garden that is uniquely ours. We’ve been learning about the plants that are already growing here, observing the patterns of sunlight and water in the yard, and visioning what we want the space to do. Among the many desires that Nathan and I have expressed for the space are:

a space to grow fruits, herbs, and veggies
a play space for our small boy and our large dog
a children’s garden
a home for urban chickens
a place for relaxing (which would include things like a curvy path for walking meditation and possibly a hammack)
a place for outdoor meals and gathering with friends
a native-xeric-type garden (I love agaves.)
a butterfly garden
and a habitat for wildlife

(A pair of starlings sighted in the yard a couple of weeks ago)

Realistically, we won’t be able to have all of these things going in full force at once, since all of the possible functions for a garden are interdependent. Big, spiny agaves aren’t particularly kid-friendly; chickens walking around (and pooping) in the yard and on the patio may make a dinner outside look less appealing; and dogs, chickens, and children can be destructive to things like veggie beds. Of course, that’s not all–these few examples are only small strands in the whole web of interdependencies that would obtain among the potential functions listed above.

(Texas Redbud branches after a late-winter rain)

I’ve also noted that our desires for the space aren’t the only factors that will shape the garden; the existing features of the yard may be even more significant to the design the garden ultimately takes. There are already beautiful fruit trees growing here: fig, clementine, apple, and loquat (which I previously misidentified as kumquat). Although fruit trees would not have been my top priority if we were starting from scratch, I’m grateful that they’re here and thriving, and I hope to be able to maintain them. There’s also a lot of lawn already established. I imagine we’ll keep a fair amount of that lawn, since lawns are good for dogs and kids. There’s already a rock garden in the back corner of the lot that I’m planning to convert into a xeric garden, too. In other words, the space already has a spirit of its own.

(Apple blossoms in early evening light)

I’ve been enjoying learning about the plants that are already established here and imagining what we’d like to happen in the space, but now we’re moving on to the next phase of designing the garden. We’re setting priorities, deciding which of the existing features we’ll keep and which we’ll change, and beginning to enact those changes. I’m looking forward to seeing how the garden will grow and transform under our stewardship. I’m also looking forward to seeing how we will grow and be transformed by the garden. Thanks for starting with me at the beginning–I’ll keep telling the story here.