from the garden journal

I bought a cheap composition book to fill with garden plans and dreams--thinking that in some future time, another owner of this house might find it and read the story of the garden. Here is an excerpt.
We moved in when the house was three years old. Little had been done to the yard--a few brown-toned bushes clustered across the front of the house and the lawn had the plugged look of doll's hair.  Five ash trees ran across the front and side edge of the property, but these had a sickly yellowish cast and were missing great swaths of foliage.  Four blue spruces had been planted at the rear--a possible attempt to provide both privacy and sound control..  These, too, struggled.
The house had been rented for two of its three years and stood empty for one, and I have it on good authority that the sprinkler system was used, but one certainly couldn't tell that from the state of the grounds.

We watered, added a bit of soap and iron, and were rewarded with a greener lawn.  The crabgrass was growing splendidly. The two ash trees at the front will have to go--victims of poor planting practices and borers.  Out tree guy thinks the rest can be saved.

I borrowed gardening catalogues and spent time at the library.  This garden will be planned, I tell myself. Planned, Kate.  Not--ooh, look at that pretty little tree which will eventually grow 70 feet tall--what small corner can I put it in?  Planned.