From the Sperry Garden

We’ve lived in our house for 37 years. It was in a pecan forest then, and the only thing that has changed since then is that it’s in what our 3-year-old grandson Joseph would call “…a giant monster pecan forest!” The trees have grown large and larger, and the shade has grown deep and deeper.

So, my confession: I took out the final remnants of my St. Augustine. Oh, the bermuda all disappeared 30 years ago. It took one look at the shade and it bailed. The St. Augustine has remained my humble servant for all those ensuing years, but even it had run its course by the past couple of springs. It just ran out of steam, and so I decided to make the switch.

I don’t really want to show you the area while it’s under construction, so this little piece is all that you’re going to get for now. Once the job is finished, I will show you “before,” “during” and “after.”

My point: to encourage you to bite that bullet now, while nurseries have their best selections of the year. If there’s a part of your yard that’s been bothering you, let this be the year that you make the change. Plants do not last forever. It’s absolutely acceptable to redesign a planting, a bed, a front yard or backyard — or the entire landscape — from scratch.

Go for it! You can do it!

(Watch here for lots more detail of Neil’s big spring gardening adventure in upcoming months.)