Stump Gardens

            It's a sad thing that Earth Day is only honored once a year, where as it should be a everyday affair and awareness. What is even sadder is, I had to really hunt this morning for any note of it on the web, so sad! I regard Earth Day as EVERYday and try my hardest to keep the plot of earth we own, maintained and improved! I recycle when I can, I only garden the organic way and I ban all hazardous materials from our land. It's just a small thing, but if everyone did small acts of restoring our earth, imagine the huge impression it would make and leave behind!

          When we bought this place one of the selling features for me, was a very old and beautiful tree in the front yard that shaded one side of the house. It must of been 200 years old, at least! It had been hit by lightening a couple times before we moved in and survived. Our first summer here though, would be the last for that old tree, lightening hit it hard, shaking the whole house and breaking things, mainly my heart when we were told it would have to come down.  It was hard to watch. The wood went to my son for heat and I demanded the stump be left in memory, and my stump garden was born!  This photo was taken in March and shows year 2 of growth. I keep adding to it each year with high hopes of one day becoming the main focal part of our 2 acres! Most of the plants in my stump garden are either marked down plants, freebies or starts from friends and family. Only a few annuals were bought this year for instant color. I am happy with the out come and honored to keep a part of this old tree with us! Can you see the heart on the stump's side? This just makes me smile each time I see it, I've never noticed it till I took this photo, it's like the stump is happy too!