Gardening Is My New Love Language (Along with Wine and Wifi)

You know how some people say they spent the weekend relaxing? Yeah, that wasn’t me.

I spent this past weekend fully embracing my middle-aged plant lady identity, elbows-deep in potting soil, slathered in SPF and surrounded by an alarming number of terra cotta pots. From sunup to sundown, I was outside pruning, planting and puttering—turning the backyard into something that (fingers crossed) might one day resemble a very mini version of Butchart Gardens—or at least a really cute section of the Home & Garden aisle at Target.

The jasmine is still recovering from the freeze, and I’ve got big dreams of transforming part of the upper lawn into a wildflower prairie. But in the meantime, we’ve added layered pots of colorful flowers, fresh plantings along the fireplace wall and a few Harold’s Finishing Touches rattan baskets that I may or may not have had shipped all the way from Australia. Totally worth it.

It’s not 100% done yet, but it’s already become my favorite place to sip a sav blanc, admire the string lights and pretend I don’t hear the kids yelling from inside. Progress, not perfection, y’all.

Stay tuned for more backyard updates. Prairie dreams don’t plant themselves.