We are blessed with a wonderful hemlock woods that shades the wintergreen, partridge berry, gold thread and jack-in-the-pulpits. The ponds support pitcher plants and cattails, not to mention the frogs, snakes, toads and dragonflies that share that space. In 2000, we counted over 200 types of plants, shrubs and trees growing on our small 3.5 acres in north central Connecticut.

The gardens have grown and changed since we started. Each year more space has been allotted for vegetables among the herbs and for those volunteer plants that come in. Since the 2005 summer season, while I was in the Keys, teasel, nettles, ragweed and couchgrass have grown in abundance and the deer have found the echinacea. After two years away, it will be fun to redefine the garden space...always a work in progress anyway as any gardener knows.

See what will bloom in May!