1 The State of the Estate

Truth be told, I was shivering in my snow boots about how my yard would handle the winter months. Now that spring is almost in full swing, it’s time to face the facts. What pulled through, what didn’t…whether due to wintry conditions or lack of owner attention (oops), time to face the music with a backyard report card.

Note to the reader: Before we dive head first into this horticultural evaluation, let’s revisit one very important LTHL lesson. No part of my thumb is green. My name does not start with a P, nor does it end with an Allen Smith.

Some sort of bushes snagged on a whim from Home Depot. True confession, they were hardly ever watered during the summer and morphed into a bundle of naked twigs by the end of August. I thought they were goners, but alas they are back for more.

Grade: B+ for endurance and the electric green leaves just make me happy




I didn’t expect any herbs to hang around until this Spring. Google tells me this hardly ever happens except for rosemary & mint, both of which are still hanging in there. Rosemary hung in there all winter and a few small sprigs of mint (see cat’s leg below) are popping onto the scene.

Grade: C only because now I’m required to plant new herbs each year and attempt to assist in their survival.




The beauty of hosta lilies is they come back year after year. No matter how cruel you are to them, they’ll stick around. Already creeping up in the front flower bed, I’m super excited to see them in their full glory.

Grade: A for self starters. No micromanaging needed.

A brick house with a concrete porch just doesn’t scream fun, so last year I threw a hosta lily into a ceramic planter in an attempt to add a little color. A few dead leaves can still be found, but the planter sits patiently awaiting a new friend.

Grade: D only because that’s one of the saddest pictures I’ve posted yet and I’m slightly mortified this dead pot was left on display all winter.




I was worried about these little monkey-grassish guys—which is obviously the Latin name for this plant species. Planted last spring, they stayed in a pretty scrawny state until cooler temps came into play. Silly me assumed all plants prefer to hold of on growth spurts until Spring.

Grade: A because I love surprises and these guys definitely have a few tricks up their sleeves.




My camellia bush is blooming! Enough said.

Grade: A+ and extra credit from the penny pincher in me since I now have several weeks of free flowers.