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A Lovely Patch of Earth

My garden is a magical place where fairies roam, and flowers grow.

Daily visitors include marauding squirrels, delicate hummingbirds, mourning doves, and songbirds with handsome yellow chests singing their hearts out in search of a mate.

It provides a refuge for spiders and mantis, which in turn keep the less beneficial bugs at bay. Fence lizards also have a place.

When I gather a spade of dirt and unearth a worm, I apologize and return it to the soil. Some of the hardest workers are unseen and unheard but equally deserving of our respect.

Baby Carrots Fresh from the Earth

Bees are welcome and encouraged with plentiful pollen to gather for their queen. Paper wasps live under the eaves, an equally beneficial guest in the garden’s echo system. They’re not aggressive like yellow jackets, but they are easily mistaken for them. I was pleased to learn the difference.

Paper wasps

Over the years, small packets of seeds have morphed into returning gems. Sweat peas are the garden darlings, with soft, fragrant petals ranging from pale pinks to rich purples and reds. They elicit comments from passersby, generating a feeling of nostalgia.

Nasturtium, purchased as a few bedding plants years ago, cast about the garden with brilliant, showy orange flowers and broad, flat leaves that remind me of paper fans.

California poppies spread across the walkway this year, with several taking up residence around the curb garden and along the drive. They, too, were first scattered from a packet of seeds. 

Two seasons of welcome rain have filled reservoirs and water tanks while affording gardeners a reprieve from regular watering.

The garden continues to evolve, moving from the manicured lawn and roses we inherited when we bought this house to a garden filled with native and drought-tolerant plants, three mature trees, and a deck lined with succulents instead of thirsty annuals. The slider featur below shows the back garden in 1996 and 2024.

I’m grateful for the sun and the wind, the rain when it falls, and this lovely patch of earth outside my door.

43 thoughts on “A Lovely Patch of Earth”

  1. Wow! I want to see your garden. I didn’t know those bees, who I knew were not bees, were paper wasps. Thank you. We have so many of them. I have to till sweet peas carefully here. They do not return on their own. The David Austin roses are surviving, which surprises me. Nasturtium is growing happily. All of this was easier to grow before I moved here. This is a much harsher place to grow plants, and it is so big, that it is hard to tend. I love to see what is growing and doing well, and what needs help. The Mexican Evening Primose is proliferating. Your garden, like you, is beautiful my friend.

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    • Thank you, Cindy. That is so kind of you.

      I wonder why the sweet peas don’t return each year. Do you have heavy winds that carry them away? I’m glad you can grow nasturtiums. They’re such a bright addition to the garden. Where did you live before the Holler? In another part of the state?

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      • He is definitely in his element especially as the sun has started to make the occasional appearance and all the veg and flowers are bunched up and ready to flourish . It’s good for him as his work keeps him chained to the computer on weekdays but it does mean I almost have to make an appointment to speak to him.

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          • Not so much Alys but that’s mainly because my sewing room is undergoing a ‘sorting out’ process that has so far taken three years. I have sewn in and around the mess a few times but am determined that, once the current project (a ‘classic’ white shirt) is finished, I’m not starting anything else until the room is in a state of excellence. This may take some time 🙄

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            • Gosh, it’s been years since I made a classic shirt. Back in the day, San Jose had five large sewing stores with huge selections of fabrics. Now, in a city of one million people, we are down to one fabric store, and they’ve just filed for bankruptcy.

              Regarding your sewing space, do you know about the 15-minute organizing rule?

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  3. Utterly delightful! Your garden is a place of beauty, and I especially enjoyed seeing the contrast between when you first moved into your house to now. Wish I lived closer so I could visit.

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  4. I always enjoy a walk through your beautiful garden. We spent years in Lompoc where I fell in love with the sweet peas. Always so fragrant. I’ve tried then here in VA but they haven’t ever taken off for me.

    Both my parents were from CA so many, many car trips were spent watching the poppies along the highways. Glorious.

    I love your animal friends. And the fairies. Have a beautiful month.

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    • Amy, I remember that you spent time in California, but I don’t think I realized that your parents were from CA. I’m glad you have nice memories of the poppy fields and fragrant sweet peas. My friend Kelly sent me sweet pea seeds from Canada several years ago, and now they return every year. It’s a joy.

      I hope you and your family (and the fairies) are doing well.

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  7. Oh yes, a very lovely patch Alys! It looks so pretty with all those self-seeders and trees and shrubs. I can tell you put a lot into caring for it as I know self-seeders can get out of hand. The sweet peas are beautiful! Great to see so many wild creatures enjoying your outdoor space too. 😃

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    • Thank you, Cathy. It’s such a labor of love, as you know, and the rewards are incredible. I hope you’re getting more reliable spring weather. We had a full day’s rain on Saturday, unusual for May, but welcome.

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  8. Well now, your magical climate bares endless gifts. I can’t even imagine what it takes to tweak it all into perfection. Good for you Alys, to have something you love in your own back (and front) yard! Happy growing season!

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    • Thank you! Over the years, I’ve learned so much about what works, such as avoiding plants that become snail snacks or that attract aphids. It comes down to good soil, appropriate water, and the perfect spot. Companion planting helps, too. Now that I focus on native plants, they naturally do better than other plants. This year’s steady rain made a big difference, too.

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    • Hello Marlene. Thank you for your kind words. I do enjoy the challenge of filling the garden with green. My challenges in the back garden is the lack of sun due to the neighboring pine tree. That said, I’ve found what works best in all the corners of our small plot. I learned that curves make a garden feel bigger than straight lines (and who likes a straight line anyway?). Nature is one big curve. xo

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  14. I infinitely prefer your sweet jungle to that sterile swathe of grass. I wish I were as merciful to worms as you are, but the reward of tossing a worm to the chickens and watching the ensuing battle is too great…

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    • Thank you, Kate. Growing a lawn in our semi-arid climate is water-wasteful. It’s so much nicer having a “jungle.” I’ve heard that chickens scratch the earth to retrieve earthworms, which in turn creates the soil. Do you find that to be true?

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      • Chickens certainly savour earthworms when they find them, but I think it’s more the very delicate and turning tilling action they perform which contributes to soil fertility. Certainly they are capable of turning hard bare earth to fertile soil with the aid of wood chips and some food scraps in addition to their grain ration. I shall be harvesting some of it soon for my winter vegies!

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  15. Oh, Alys! Your garden is such a lovely haven to enjoy throughout the year! I always look forward to your garden in springtime… especially your beautiful sweet peas!! YOU are the inspiration for the sweet pea seeds that I will sow next week. I’m so happy for the gentle rains that helped your garden grow lush with color! Enjoy every moment in the garden! Happy Mother’s Day, dear friend! 🩷 Dawn (in IL)

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  16. I love the sweet peas but I’ve never been able to grow them. Your are amazing colours.

    I try to encourage the bees with lavender and rosemary and I also let my rocket go to seed. I don’t have that many flowers in my garden as I mainly grow succulents and vegetables.

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    • Succulents and vegetables are wonderful to grow. I’ve had such limited success with the former, though the succulents do well in this climate.

      I know the bees love rosemary and lavender; they are a wonderful scent in the garden. Where do you garden?

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  17. Look at the evolution of your magical garden! Yes at first I bet the fairies kept away but now there must be chattering within the whole fairy community on how your garden is the one to visit :-)
    I so enjoyed the photos and I was immersed for a while in your glorious garden!
    Yes I return earthworms to the earth when I actually dig them up too – they have important work to do!

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