{"id":648,"date":"2026-04-11T10:43:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T15:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/?p=648"},"modified":"2026-04-11T10:43:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T15:43:39","slug":"garden-journal-early-spring-musings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/11\/garden-journal-early-spring-musings\/","title":{"rendered":"Garden Journal \u2014 Early Spring Musings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The weather has been a little damp lately, but I can finally feel the warmth starting to creep back in, and it\u2019s giving me that familiar itch to get outside. Every spring, as soon as the air softens even a little, I start imagining what the yard will look like in a few weeks. Before long, it will be May, and I\u2019ll finally be able to tuck seeds into the ground again. There\u2019s something grounding about that ritual \u2014 like the official start of the gardening season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the entire south side of our property, two neighbors\u2019 fences run the length of the yard. Both are in pretty rough shape. One section even dropped pickets into our patio screen last year, tearing it right out of the frame. Not ideal. We\u2019re hoping both neighbors will be open to letting us cover the cost of replacing the fencing, but realistically, it\u2019s looking like a Spring 2027 project. Since the installation will mean digging up all the beds along that side, I don\u2019t want to plant anything permanent there yet. Still, I\u2019d love to add some temporary color and texture so it doesn\u2019t feel like a forgotten stretch of the yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next week we\u2019re having some work done on the patio, and I\u2019m crossing my fingers it wraps up quickly so I can start planting the beds around it. I can already picture myself sitting out there with a cup of coffee, watching the bees and butterflies drift from bloom to bloom. There\u2019s something incredibly peaceful about seeing a space come alive with pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of what we inherited in the yard were various hostas. They were in pretty rough shape last summer \u2014 understandable, since they hadn\u2019t been watered or cared for. But tucked into the back corner is one plant I\u2019m genuinely excited about: a peony. I have no idea what variety it is because it had already finished blooming by the time we bought the house last August. So this spring feels a bit like waiting for a surprise gift. I\u2019ll be thrilled with whatever color it turns out to be, though I\u2019m secretly hoping for a deep pink. I\u2019m planning a future post all about peony care because honestly, I could use a refresher myself. The last time I had a peony of my own was back in 2007 when I lived in La Crosse, WI. Our neighbor, Mr. Tom from the Sawyer house, had at least five gorgeous peonies, and he always let me wander over to take photos. It\u2019s a sweet memory I think about often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also planning to tackle some much-needed work on the front porch this spring, so I\u2019m not entirely sure when I\u2019ll be able to dig into the bed right in front of it. Still, I\u2019ve been daydreaming about what I want to plant there once the timing is right. I keep coming back to Autumn Joy sedum and a mix of Heuchera. They\u2019re the kind of plants that quietly carry beauty through every season \u2014 soft in spring, bold in summer, glowing in fall, and still interesting in winter. That kind of reliability feels comforting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also want to sprinkle Bee Balm and Early Sunflowers throughout the yard so the hummingbirds and bumblebees have plenty to feast on. My gardening style leans pretty casual \u2014 more prairie than prim. I love beds that feel loose and flowing, where plants mingle and sway instead of standing in perfect rows. It feels more alive that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, this Kansas girl will always have a soft spot for sunflowers. They\u2019ve been part of my life for as long as I can remember \u2014 from the sunflower d\u00e9cor in my childhood bedroom to the sunflowers in my wedding bouquet. They just radiate joy. Every year I plant my tried and true favorites, but I also love experimenting with new varieties. This season I\u2019m trying out the ProCut\u00ae Plum Sunflower and the Burpee Kindergarten Sunflower. I\u2019m also tempted to add Teddy Bear Sunflowers because they\u2019re just so charming, but the place I planned to order from is already out of stock. I might have to do a little more hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out front, in the bed closest to the sidewalk, I\u2019m dreaming up a blue and yellow theme. In the center, I want to place a Highland High School yard sign \u2014 something cheerful and full of local pride. I\u2019m planning to use bachelor buttons and sunflowers to build out the color palette. I\u2019m still tracking down the right yard sign, but I\u2019ve got a few promising leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring always feels like a season of possibility, and this year is no different. There\u2019s work to be done, projects to plan, and plenty of dirt waiting for my hands. But there\u2019s also so much joy in the dreaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeds already purchased from American Meadows and Burpee<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the wish list: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The weather has been a little damp lately, but I can finally feel the warmth starting to creep back in, and it\u2019s giving me that familiar itch to get outside. Every spring, as soon as the air softens even a little, I start imagining what the yard will look like in a few weeks. Before…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[63,64],"class_list":["post-648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gardening","tag-garden-journal","tag-saturdays-in-the-garden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":672,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions\/672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rootedsimply.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}