Gardening, Front and Back

At the back of the yard, Mr. Bryant plants the plants that are leftovers.  The ones that are at the edge of the nursery, the ones that are left to sit by the side, that no one wants to buy, the ones that the nursery eventually marks down to almost nothing.

When Mr. Bryant brings these plants home, they look bad, every time.  Like no one ever watered them.  Like really, they are probably dead.  Like doing anything with them was a complete waste of effort.  Like if you paid for them at all, you paid too much.

Mr. Bryant plants these sad looking plants in rocky soil, at the back edge of the yard.  He fondly calls the area his rock garden.  He waters the plants with dedication, but he doesn't do anything special otherwise.  Well, maybe a little compost occasionally - but many times not even that.  Amazingly, every dying plant Mr. Bryant has put into the rocky clay soil at the back of the yard has prospered.  While my front garden delphiniums have died and I have purchased more and they have died, and once again more.....Mr. Bryant's spindly plants have grown and showered us with blooms.

 
After much plant distress out front I let the garden just go for two years.  I pulled the big weeds, but didn't care much about most of it.  It grew wild and the birds loved the brush.  The poison ivy started to take over though, so something had to be done.  Now I have a gardener in the person of my son, who tends the front garden and fills it with glorious perennials.  Some of the hidden roses that never bloomed are blooming beautifully, and although the yellow rose is gone, the white one is prospering.  The garden is recovering and is filled with such beautiful plants that I am nearly to tears.  My son is a blessing to me, as are the flowers. 

And out back, Mr. Bryant's rock garden blooms exotic.

These men in the family, I swear they must have green thumbs.