Garden Stroll

May 4, 2026 — Pat Bertram

With so much the contention in the world right now, we all need a little peace in our lives, so come stroll with me and I’ll show you my garden. That garden, in itself, brings peace — at least to me — so I’m especially lucky that things are growing well this year.

Walk down the path, almost to the garage, you will find this lovely pastoral scene hiding behind the greenery.

I have no idea why the garden is so lovely this year. Winter was warmer but also drier, so those two conditions should have cancelled each other out, but instead, what I have is a lush springtime yard.

The larkspur, seen along the fence in the two top photos, are growing well, though that’s not a surprise. Larkspur does exceptionally well in this climate, and always I am glad to see the frilly foliage. More than even a robin, larkspur herald spring. It’s interesting that although I started out with only purple larkspur, each year, more colors bloom.

In the forefront of the pastoral photo (second from the top) is a yellow columbine. Oddly, there are also white columbines on that same plant. But that’s no problem. Any columbine is welcome!

Truly, the columbines are prolific and gorgeous this year. The orange wallflowers in the background of the following photo are hanging around longer than they normally do, which is a thrill for me because that sunrise color sure brightens the day!

I could post more photos, but I don’t want to overwhelm anyone (or tire you out with such a strenuous walk), so I’ll continue this garden stroll tomorrow.

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Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One

Posted in being me, gardening, home, life. Tags: columbines, garden, garden photos, larkspur, spring garden, wallflowers. 10 Comments »

Carol Says:
May 4, 2026 at 10:41 am

Wow! It’s like a summer garden–already so lush and colourful! I can understand why you enjoy spending your time in it. Despite our mild (almost non-existent) winter, the only things blooming in our backyard is the big red azalea; and in the front it’s just a couple columbines in the planter.

BUT, we did go to the nursery on the weekend and get some bedding plants for the deck tubs and borders. That trip is usually my Mother’s Day treat, but we’re in an unexpectedly early ten-day warm spell and it didn’t seem necessary to wait the additional week. I’m looking forward to getting into the garden and adding some colour, although it’s never going to look anywhere as lovely as yours.

Carol Says:
May 4, 2026 at 10:51 am
(I forgot to mention that our front yard will *never* look lush because we’ve just replaced all the lawn with river rock! The raccoons had decimated the grass while feasting on an invasion of chafer beetles, and rather than repair it, and in light of the seasonal watering restrictions that the city has already put in place, we felt xeriscaping was the practical choice.)

- Pat Bertram Says:
  May 4, 2026 at 1:30 pm
  I don’t often show my front yard — I have some grass in front, but a lot is gravel and pathways. I keep the lushness for the backyard.
  
  We don’t have racoons around here; we have skunks that dig in the lawn for grubs. I’ve decided not to be upset about it but to consider it as an automated aeration system.
  
Pat Bertram Says:
May 4, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Last year, I did the same thing you did — get my bedding plants early when we had an early warming spell, but this year, I have to wait longer than normal since we’re expecting night-time freezes during the next couple of days. Eek. So perhaps my garden won’t be as lovely after that. But for now, I am enjoying the treat.