You don’t plant the garden until after you’ve moved in

The house we bought has a garden beside it. The garden did not come with the house, however. It is a vacant lot and we were given the first option to purchase it. We did. I grew up in a house with a large garden with fruit and evergreen trees and there’s nothing like stepping out of the door and visually inhaling all that greenery.

As it is, the garden has a mango tree that has grown higher than the roof, a gazebo and some ornamental plants. Sam is urging me to plant flowering shrubs only, and only around the garden’s perimeter so that the center remains an open space for lounging and entertaining. I agree with her plan except for one thing.

I have herbs that I intend to replant after moving. I also have a small kaffir lime tree which I have not removed from the pot because we bought it after deciding we would move. Keeping it in the pot saves a lot of planting and replanting work. I also have a small lemon tree in the backyard which I intend to dig up and replant somewhere in the garden of the new house. Other than my herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, lemongrass, pandan and dill) and those two trees, I agree that we should stick with small flowering herbs.