We have a beautiful, if somewhat wild, back yard full of hundreds of varieties of native and introduced herbs, trees, and flowers, with generous helpings of feral parsley, cilantro, and lambs quarters. The only thing I had to do to achieve this glorious jungle was fence out the deer and kill all the grass. Once or twice a year I'll dig compost into whatever bare spots may happen, and then wait to see what comes up. The only chore is "weeding", which means thinning the abundant sprouts and seedlings to give everyone elbow room and proper companionship. That's it. Takes a few hard day's work per year, plus enjoyable walks down the pathways communing with my green friends. Nibbling on the thinnings gives me a nice snack while I'm at it, too!
Now that the front garden is all fluffed and fed, I intend to never pick up a spade again, just rake leaves from the forest for mulch and occasionally plant a seed or transplant a tomato. We put hundreds of hours and dollars into this yard, now it's time for it to pay us back!
Pray for rain.....
---Marcia Cash
Traveler in Thyme
http://www.travelerinthyme.com
