Greetings!
 When I was growing up,
a garden to me was a vegetable garden. In my parents backyard there was a
large rectangular plot, which still exists today. We grew cucumbers, tomatoes,
potatoes, squash, peppers, beans and much more than I can remember. On the
outside edges of this plot some peonies existed, roses that I helped my mom
bury every fall and a few annual flowers planted here and there. The house had
a few hostas planted around the foundation and various trees, such as maples,
spruce, ash and elms scattered about the yard.
To me this was what a yard was supposed to look like and a garden grew
vegetables. It wasn't until I grew up and started in the horticulture business
that I began to look at gardens differently. I realized that gardens were so
much more than a rectangular plot in the back sunny corner of the lot to grow
vegetables.
Today, at my own home I have what I call my
gardens, a combination of perennials, trees, shrubs and vegetables scattered
about sharing the same location and just flowing in the landscape. My parents
still live in the same home I grew up in and at that home the garden will
always be the rectangular plot in the back and the memories created will
forever be special.
 The moral to my story: it may be getting late to plant, but it's not too late to
design and prepare for your garden beyond the rectangle plot. Need some
creative ideas and a helping hand? Give us a call!
- Deb Smith (an HLG Worker Bee)
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