Autumn Equinox Gardening Reflection Part 1

I've been waiting for this post for a long time. It shares the growing journey of my urban garden.

Hubby and I in Grant Park, early Spring. We've got the idea...

This compost has been in development, maturing behind our home, for many, many years. We needed to pick out loads of refuse, stones and so forth before getting started.

This is a close-up of the compost, still laden with leaves and twigs before being broken down, as well as rocks, and other things we didn't want to be a part of the planting. Lots of juicy worms were in here, to stay!

Late Spring
Broom Corn, because you know you always need a nice handmade broom around, as well as other seedlings, waiting to get planted. 

Gorgeous David Austin, Olivia Rose. This rose was selected for its name, in relation to my daughter, as much as for its beautiful scent and form.

Sumi-e ink on Mulberry Rice Paper Painting by Stephanie Rose Bird c. 2017. Feeling inspired by all the planting!

Prairie Cone Flowers, one of my favorite painting and drawing subjects. These are grown in a parkway garden, curb-side.

This was the beginning of our odyssey into what I'd have to call Urban Homesteading. Technically, I live in the suburbs but being that we're a block in from the city, it's still pretty urban. We dug up the previous planting, which included some of my well-loved perennials and bulbs, with an eye towards edibles. 

Our property has always been blessed with the best Gaia has to offer, including rich, black, fertile soil. She had however become increasingly more dense and compacted over the years. It's hard to double-dig, as was needed, with flowers scattered in the prairie-styled garden. The beauty of the planting was muddled by invasive prairie grasses. It was with a heavy heart that everything was removed - a fresh start was in order.

At this point we were still drawing on hope and memories of our mutual childhood gardens, not quite sure how things would pan out in the end.

(To be continued)