After a protracted winter, spring comes as a relief, oppressive gray skies giving way to the occasional blue with a riot of color budding on long-dormant plants. As things bloom, I think often of a comment I read on a forum post (probably on Old House Web, then a regular read) not long after moving into our house to the effect we shouldn’t neglect our yards as we remodel and restore our interiors. Time benefits our landscapes, its passage letting our plantings mature and giving us the opportunity to observe on what works and what doesn’t before we make radical changes.

Much of our attention has been spent on the interior of our home, but we’ve managed to work outdoor projects and plantings in around that interior work. Now it’s a pleasure to spend time outside under our covered patio, sipping drinks while admiring how hard work and the passage of time have improved our environment. Projects (eventually) end and some things can wait while you take time to plant or build outside, and you’ll appreciate having a mature landscape to relax in.