Why are we completely redoing our garden right now
Weed Management
Neat Aesthetic
Maintenance Free
Apple trees fell down and we were forced into making a change
Garden Redo 2025
Over 18 years ago, while purchasing the property we now reside on, many possibilities for landscaping swirled in my head. It was late winter and as usual for Northern Minnesota the ground was blanketed with snow. Pictures of a huge vegetable garden covering most of the back yard as well as a substantial perennial garden off the back deck were prominently displayed on the kitchen counter for prospective buyers to gaze upon.
As a garden lover I was excited to uncover all the treasures that awaited me when the snow melted and the existing plants emerged from their winter slumber. Admittedly, that first spring/summer was a time of new discoveries and anticipation for what was to come.
Eventually, after a couple of years had gone by, I got the itch to make the garden spots my own. Overwhelmed by the weeds overtaking the space, I embarked on the huge task of digging every single plant out of the dirt and then replanting. Some of the plants were kept and replanted, while many new plant varieties were added.
For many years, this worked very well. My husband added a couple of apple trees to the spot as well as a circular walkway through the middle. Over the years, many children as well as our two sheepdogs, enjoyed playing in the pretty plants.
Surprisingly, despite being a busy mom of three growing boys as well as running a home daycare and then homeschooling I found the time to keep the weeds at bay and maintain this large space. Being outside, while children were playing, was and still is my happy place.
Unfortunately, all good things come to end. In the last few years certain dominant plants have been overtaking the garden and once again the feeling of overwhelm has taken over. Just a couple of weeks ago I mentioned to my husband that I felt it was time to dig everything out again and start over. This statement was partly said jokingly as memories of this laborious task from years ago still are fresh.
Well, as luck would have it, a week after mentioning redoing the garden the main apple tree, which was bursting with apples, completely fell over as the roots lay bare on the ground. Similarily, the other less developed tree has also bent over signaling a needed change.
So once again, for the last time on this property, we are taking on the task of digging out all the existing plants and starting over. Since we are a bit older and perhaps a little wiser the garden will be filled with low maintenance flowering shrubs and weed mats with wooden chips in between.
A recent visit to our local nursery to gather ideas assured us that fall is an ideal time for planting trees and shrubs. Desiring a garden that blooms early spring to late summer/early fall will take careful planning.
We will definitely be gleaming off the expertise of the nursery staff as well as the gained knowledge over the years of trial and error. This project will be a lot of work, but well worth it in the end. Hopefully, the benefits of the simplified, but lovely, low maintenance garden will be enjoyed for years to come.
Stay tuned as the project unfolds…