I finally started working on the garden.

I've been looking at it since we moved in, making mental notes and imagining what I might do with it, but this week I decided to stop thinking about the big picture for a minute and just start cleaning things up.

There are some really good bones here.

We have mature trees, established shrub borders and the outlines of several perennial beds. I can already see places where a little work is going to make a big difference.

The first job is getting everything under control.

The perennial beds need to be weeded and edged. The shrubs need to be cleaned out and some will need to be cut back.

There are branches and sticks everywhere, and before we can even mow, I need to pick them all up.

It's not particularly glamorous gardening, but I actually enjoy this part.

There's something about getting a clean edge around a flower bed and seeing the shape of it again that makes it easier to imagine what it could become.

The Trees

There are quite a few mature trees on the property, and several need some serious pruning.

We've scheduled the tree work, so I'm trying to get as much of the ground cleanup done as I can before then.

I'm also curious to see how much the garden changes once some of the trees are pruned.

The garden has a lot of shady areas which is going to be one of the things I have to work around as I make plans. I'm used to thinking about where I can put the sun-loving flowers I want to grow, but here I'm going to have to pay much more attention to what the garden is actually giving me.

Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful plants that don't mind the shade.

I just need to change my thinking a little.

The Deer

The other thing I have to think about is deer.

We've already found some plants that are definitely not deer resistant, so I'm paying much more attention to what is growing where and what seems to be surviving.

One of my longer-term projects is finding a deer-resistant hedge that can extend the privacy around the property.

I have started gathering information and looking at possibilities, but I'm not ready to make a decision yet.

There are a few things I want to figure out first, including exactly where our property lines are.

We're having a survey done, which will make planning the edges of the property much easier.

Bringing the Old Garden With Me

I also brought some plants from our old house.

I have peonies and iris that need to find a home here, and I'm looking forward to figuring out where they belong.

I like the idea of having a few plants from our old garden growing here. They won't necessarily go in the same places or even be used in the same way, but they'll be a little connection to the garden we left behind.

And then I'll have to start filling in around them.

Which is where things could get dangerous.

I have a lot of ideas.

And Then There Are the Leaves

We also have a lot of trees.

Which means we're going to drop a lot of leaves.

Our town doesn't have fall leaf pickup at our house, so I decided we'd better come up with a plan before autumn arrives.

I ordered a chipper.

The idea is to shred leaves and sticks and use them as mulch in the flower beds. I'm hoping this will turn what could be a giant disposal problem into something useful for the garden.

I'm sure I'll have an opinion about this plan after we've actually tried it.

Right Now, I'm Just Cleaning

I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself.

There will be plenty of time for garden design and planting plans.

For now, I want to see the property when it's cleaned up.

I want to see the shapes of the existing beds. I want to see what survives the deer. I want to understand the shade. I want to see what the trees look like after they're pruned.

And I want to figure out what is already here before I start removing things.

So this is where we're starting:

Weeding.

Edging.

Cutting things back.

Picking up sticks.

Getting ready to mow.

It's not the finished garden, not even close.

But I'm starting to see it.