This doesn't look like much

That's our new perennial bed. The only thing there that isn't new is the bee balm. So far, we've added red hot poker plant, liatris, irises, blue-eyed grass, lamb's ear, sedum, tiger lilies, korean angelica, sea hollies, peony, rose campion, evening primrose, dianthus, poppies and fescue. Some of those are so new they won't do much of anything this year, so we also put in some annuals- bachelor's button, love-lies, bleeding, a lone marigold, some herbs, sunflowers and a castor plant. So try to imagine all that in that dirt plot! (Hard, huh?)

It'll take 2-3 years before it all really looks like something, but I just hadda show it because it was SO much work. We're not using a tiller. Every bit of sod is lifted by hand, the topsoil shaken off, then big rocks removed. Then we turn the soil and add Miracle Gro garden soil, compost, and sometimes Watersorb. THEN we finally get to plant something! All that work pays off eventually, but it's hard to be patient and sometimes really hard to get up the gumption to get out there and expand it. The Goal is zero lawn, all flowers. And some days, The Goal is daunting. Like today. Does anyone have any spare gumption? It's easier to come by on the mister's days off, but alas, today isn't one of them.