My Favorite Spot, July 14th

On weekend mornings, I rise as early as I can bear. I stumble down the stairs, trying not to trip over the cats. I head into the kitchen, open the back door, and collapse into the hammock. Then I lie there in a daze, allowing the morning air to finish the job of waking me up. Later, I’ll muster my strength to brew a cup of tea, and then return to the hammock to nurse my cuppa. After sipping the stimulating brew, listening to the trickle of the fountain and clatter of the wind chimes, and gazing at the vibrant flowers, I’m ready to begin my gardening day.

My favorite spot this week, the deck, gets heavy use. Not only is it my second bedroom, but it is also the kitchen and dining room most evenings. It is also my nursery. The snowy deck hosted my winter sowing containers during the cold months and now supports my immense stock of shade-loving seedlings.

I’ve planted the area around the deck fairly intensively. The southwest side is lined with spiderwort and nicotiana. Along the northwest, I’ve recently planted ostrich ferns, Golden Lights azalea, Fairy primrose, sweet woodruff, hostas, and a Ruby Spice clethra. A Terese Bugnet rose was already resident on the northeast side. While Terese’s head is in the sun, the area around her feet is shady, so I’ve planted more ostrich fern and chameleon plant there.

When I first began to plan the landscaping around the deck during March ’05, I debated over which vines to climb the overhang. I was torn between clematis jackmanii and trumpet vine. I decided to plant them both. Neither plant flowered last year, but I was rewarded with purple and orange blooms this year. Four enormous fuchsias hang in the windows, completing the lush, tropical feel.

Can you see why this is my favorite spot?