Garden Life

The first time we walked through our new home, there were leaves on the trees, but it was late September and things were quickly fading. By our second walk through, it was officially fall and the landscaping was sparse. The day we moved in, winter had arrived in full force.

For those that know me, you know I LOVE to be outside. I love the sun, fresh air, and even the humidity if it means I am outdoors {even though I grew up in and prefer the dry weather of Utah}.

So, to say I am eager for spring/summer to arrive is a bit of an understatement. This past weekend, my husband and I decided to cut back all the ornamental winter plants in between my painting sessions. Lo and behold, it was clear spring had arrived! If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I uncovered seven or eight of these random plants that were starting to make their appearance known {anyone know what they are?!?}:

And, we officially realized we had onions {scallions} growing in our courtyard immediately after I made the first cut. Eeet was stinky {name that movie}. All afternoon, all we could smell was onions. I swear, after we cut these back, the fresh shoots grew another two inches over the holiday weekend!

I was also pleased to see that our oregano, thyme, sage, strawberries and raspberries all survived the brutal snow and cold this winter!

But, perhaps what I am most excited about is to see the upcoming buds on the trees. We came from a neighborhood with teeny tiny tress and now we have some mature {for a new-ish subdivision} maple, oak, bald cypress, birch and pines.

And then of course there’s our courtyard. The area that made the decision to purchase the house a done deal. I cannot even wait to get started prettying this area up. We’re thinking fresh herb garden, pergola, strung lights, etc. I even have a Courtyard inspiration board on Pinterest chock full of great ideas!

{photo from our initial walk-through of the house back in September}

Aaaahhh. I can hardly wait for spring and the green to arrive!!