I never thought I would love gardening so much

Tony's "burt" tree in the ground

Side Garden next to drive way

Back yard roses in bloom

When I was little my mom would drag us to the nursery almost every weekend. I can remember the smells, the warmth and the hours she would spend just walking around calling out plant names. She would pick up the plants in their plastic cans and hold them up to the light. It seemed as if she took the time to get to know the plant before taking it home; wondering if it was the right fit for a certain location.

We would drag our feet behind her wondering how much longer the process would go on. Our impatient attitudes never seem to phase her, she was in a bubble and no one could pop it. My mom obviously loved it so much it became her career, and now as adult with my own yard I truly understand why.

There is a feeling that comes over me when I garden, a sense of peace and happiness that I have never felt before. The idea that you sit in the sun surrounded by beauty waiting for you to remove their plastic cans and place them in a permanent location. Trimming back a rose bush in hopes of creating the perfect rose, come next season or watching a bare tree fill with leaves, is absolutely fantastic.

When we first moved into the house, Tony and I actually fought over who would get to do yard work. Looking back at those first few weeks it's quite funny. It's great that Tony loves it too and we each have our own thing we like to focus on. With Tony, it's trees. Palm tress, maples and the plum tree. He also seems to really enjoy excavation. In the beginning I would wake up and wonder where a certain bush suddenly went or why a certain location seemed suddenly bare. He had a vision and I now see it coming to light. However, I have to say, I am a little palm treed out. We have a running joke that the side garden next to the drive way is obviously mine because it has no palm trees in it.