The Wild Garden | Our Backyard Meadow
Sharing my plans for building a wild garden for my daughter. A place where the wild flowers bloom and the bees buzz about.
Isn’t it exciting to watch your kids enjoy something as much as you do? I find this to be so rewarding. After purchasing our home I had a large tree stump removed from our side yard. From the day they took it out of the ground, it was this big dirt patch hidden away behind our back yard gate that I just as soon forget about.
At the time my focus was the inside of the home, after all I had just purchased a “fixer upper”. Inside he list was long on all that needed to be done. So on one of my regular home depot outings I was randomly walking down the aisle when I saw a big bag of wildflower seeds.
The bag read…
“easy to grow” which called out to my unskilled nature at the time so I tossed a bag into my cart.
Once home, I chucked the bag into my tool shed and forgot about them. Until one day I was in there fumbling around with my pool equipment when the bag of seeds fell to the floor. Surely a true sign that they wanted to be planted. I grabbed the bag and walked directly over to the spot where the stump had been.
Tearing the bag open I dumped its contents over the area. I didn’t even bother trying to cover the seeds at all. Now that I think of this, I may as well have invited all the birds to my house for a feast. I did however grab the garden hose to wet them down before walking away only to forget about them once more.
Several weeks passed…
When I was again out back pushing my mower threw the weed patches that continue to plague me and as I came to the gate near the large dirt area sat, I froze.
In front of me was a beautiful patch of wildflowers blooming in full display. I was shocked. I went to the house to grab my daughter and show her the flower patch. She reluctantly came with me but the moment she seen them her face lit up. From that day and without me asking she would go check her flowers.
Yes she had claimed them as hers immediately. I’d watch her stumble across the lawn pulling the water hose along or filling up her watering can to bring with her. She asked me for gloves to that she can pull any weeds that may have crept in. I was all to proud purchase her vary own gardening items.
Weeks Later
Over the next few weeks, I would find her sitting at my bedroom window that overlooks the patch just admiring them. Sometimes with her sketchbook in hand.
I never asked her once to do any of these things however there she was each day. Standing by her flower patch tending to them. On other days, in the window watching them. She would show anyone who came to our home.
Then once summer had ended the life of the wildflowers were drying up and going away. A sad time to see for any gardener I think. Don’t ask me if they were perennial or annual flower seeds because I haven’t a clue. If those original flowers will come back next year, it is anyone’s guess. With us now moving right into fall where the days are cooler I am taking this opportunity to plan better for Spring.
Her wild flower patch is now cut down with a weed sheet draped over to choke out the weeds that have grown in. I have decided to make the area quite a bit larger this time around.
Once the dirt is ready to work in early spring the perennial wildflower seeds I have purchase will be sowed in greater amounts and her wild garden will live once again for her to enjoy. A bench will be placed to sit on, maybe a bird bath or two for the bees. But mostly I look forward to seeing those beautiful blooms once again and my daughter sitting among them.
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