I have a garden…well, almost.
My Arranger and I have completed our move from our home and garden to a lovely retirement community here in the Charlotte area. It was challenging, to say the least, to leave a garden into which I had put twelve years of sweat and muscle and love. But time presents new challenges and new opportunities.
We were able to get an apartment with a screened porch, and we have now outfitted it with a few plants to help us feel at home when we enjoy our glass of wine on the porch before dinner. It’s not the garden of the past, but one for our future here.
This heuchera survived four years on our previous porch, made the transition, and appears none the worse after two months of travel.
A few colorful plants add to the show:
This stone adds a touch of history and a touch of continuity to our “garden.” I first saw this piece of granite in my grandmother’s woods over seventy years ago. I salvaged it for my Chapel Hill garden, moved it into our last garden, and saved it to be a part of this next chapter of my gardening life.
I hope you will accept this post as my “End of Month View.”
A Walk in the Garden 
Good to hear you have space for a little greenery and colour John. All the best to you both in your new home!
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Thanks, Cathy, for your good wishes. We are getting settled and enjoying our new garden.
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Congrats on your small but authentic garden, John! I love the planter and that rock is both handsome and historic! (Well, I know it’s prehistoric too…)
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Thank you, Cynthia. That rock has a special place in my memory.
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beautiful plants, beautiful wicker!
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Thanks. Glad you have liked them.
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All the best to you and your new garden. Looking forward to seeing more of it from your posts.
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Thank you for you warm wishes. The changes will be slow….with the seasons.
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What a beautiful space! I’m glad to see you are settling in.
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Thank you, Marian. the boxes are gone and the pictures are hung (with care).
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Hard to leave your beautiful garden I’m sure but you have a new one that will require less work and still give much pleasure.
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Thanks, Anne. Hard indeed it was, but we move on. I’m happy to have left that work behind, but I will miss the flowers.
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That chunk of granite is a wonderful link to and reminder of previous gardens.
Does the porch have scope for housing a St Paulia or orchid collection? Those can become passions.
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Sorry to report that the porch is just not large enough to house a collection. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Wow, that granite is a fine anchor tying your new garden space to old. Glad you’re settled in with some special plants. Enjoy your happy hour!
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That rock is gorgeous and what a wonderful remembrance of your grandmother and all your gardens. We are in our early 70s and hired a garden helper this summer for the first time ever. I am not ready to leave but I know that day will come. So I am always interested to see where gardeners go next and what kind of “garden” they manage to create. My garden is large enough that I don’t do house plants so I figure they will be my next garden.
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We are fortunate to have an apartment with a screened porch…half a dozen pots with flowers. So I can keep at it that way for awhile. Thanks, and glad you like my stone.
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