Haven in a garden

My post from yesterday inspired me to go take a look at the little triangle of garden we have in the front of our house.  I attempted to clean it up last fall, but after seeing it, I still have some work to do.  Grass had begun growing through the landscaping fabric so I just decided to rip it out and start fresh.  I guess I forgot that I also needed to trim everything once winter came... or perhaps my mind just tucked it somewhere deep inside as that would have entailed being out in the cold - not my favorite activity!

Despite the mess that still exists in this small area, the tulips are starting to grow.  Exciting!  Additionally, there's these other plants that are growing.  Perhaps you can help me figure out what's growing!  The leaves are rather large and have dark lines on them.  The only thing I remember planting are the following: Sweet Pea, Forget-Me-Not and Sweet William.  I've seen Sweet William before, my mother has some in her gardens back in Montreal, and I really don't think that's what there are.  So what could it be???

I'm so curious to find out what it is that I've planted that's already growing?  I sincerely hope that these flowers survive whatever weather the Spring has in store for us.  I hope even more to soon see colorful flowers in this garden.  It can become a haven - a place I can go to reminisce about my son, about our happy times.  A place where I could possibly conjure up thoughts of what he might be up to in Heaven.

In the meantime, can someone help me figure out what plant these leaves below to?  I sure hope they are a flower, and not some crazy weed :) 

Preston's Garden

We had talked about creating a garden last year, and it did come together this year.  It came together as a project after we lost Preston, but I had been wanting to have a garden, thinking it would be a great way to incorporate vegetables into our diet.  I wasn't able to eat vegetables for a long time because of my Crohn's flare-ups.  Fiber didn't do so well with me, nor did any kind of insoluble fiber like lettuce, peels, pods, etc.  But, now that I can eat them, it's a little difficult to start cooking with it every day, when I'm so used to not cooking with them much!  This was a great way to slowly get that done so that by the time Preston could eat solid foods, I could puree vegetables from our own garden, and one day, eat them in meals like a good little boy.

He never got to try pureed veggies, or fruits, or meat.  But, the garden seemed like a good project to keep us both busy - Brett on the front end by building it, me for the rest of the summer by tending to it.  In my head, I named it "Preston's Garden".  It gave me more incentive to take care of it, love it, and use it.  So, on day 16 of my 30 days of gratitude challenge, I am thankful for Preston's Garden.

At first, I was scared that maybe nothing would grow.  I haven't been blessed with a green thumb like my mom... so I probably went a little crazy and used too many seeds.  Everything has grown, except the peppers, which is really odd because I heard those grow really well in Colorado.  Early this summer, we enjoyed some delicious Butter Lettuce which was really the first thing to grow.  And boy did it grow!  I've used the herbs throughout the summer - basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro and even catnip for the cats.  Calex enjoys the fresh catnip while Acro won't really eat it unless it's dried.  The only thing that I'm not sure how it's doing is the red onions since they grow below the soil.  Maybe I will unearth one next weekend and see!

Tonight, we just ate some green beans.  I washed them, and boiled them, and smothered them with salt, pepper and garlic seasoned melted butter.  They were really good and we have left overs for tomorrow.

I really wish that I could share this with Preston, and try to make him pureed green beans to see how he likes it.  I wish he could play in the grass while I tended to the garden and next year, he could munch on the fruits of our labor.  I kind of hope that he has something to do with it blossoming the way it did... me and my non-green thumb and all.  It's been a nice symbol of hope to see it grow and grow.

Soon, we will enjoy cucumbers and tomatoes, and I will start needing to freeze or dry herbs.  Next year, I think I will grow the herbs in the flower beds we have for our deck so that I have room for more veggies in the backyard.  The tomatoes are growing rampant, and I'm sure it's because I planted too many seeds per square.  The cucumbers and beans intertwined, but that's because I'm a dummy and planted beans and cucumbers in some of the same "cubbies".  Oopsies!!!!  What else could I grow next year? It's kind of exciting, and it's also nice to have something to look forward to.  Thank you for this gift Preston.  It will forever be your namesake garden.