Spring Cleanup in the Urban Jungle

Here is a quick video of my wife showing how to gently rake off the windfall from last autumn. We tend to leave it on the ground over winter for 2 main reasons : we have more energy in the spring when we make any excuse to spend time outside in the sunshine and fresh air, than in the fall when one tends to feel lethargic and pining for the summer past; and it also adds just a little bit more protection against the ice and snow. Though she also chooses plants that can overwinter without much fuss because it is just far easier to care for a garden like this.

When our garden grows up in the coming weeks you'll be able to see how well refashionista has planned our back yard, and how much it feels like an urban jungle.

From the patio made from smashed up 2' x 2' square patio stones, many of which we'd gotten for free at the big box stores because they were damaged, to the kids' play area on the far side of the garden being raked in this clip, to the new area we're planning for this year behind the cedar shed, refashionista's master plan is really coming together this year. But there are no laurels on which to rest - lots of work still to go in this evolving work-in-progress.