Garden Map

I have always admired the diagrams of flower beds in garden magazines and books. They look so well thought out, so planned. 

My gardens are not like that. Instead, they evolve from year to year, even month to month. 

Today I drew a map of the woodland garden that Ed and I have been working on for three years. Sometimes I call it "The Red Bench Garden," since my favorite red wire bench sits close by. Using ink pen and watercolors, I painted an approximation of the plants and their positioning under the four trees that make this a fully shaded area. 

I like the drawn map, but I will carry my morning coffee out to the garden itself, where I can sit on the red bench, under the canopy of leaves where the birds flit and sing, and the astilbes will soon be at their feathery best.