When I moved into my new home in the summer of 2015, it was a blank slate, save a dangerous, dying weeping willow that I had to pay $2000 to remove lest its decaying branches were to come crashing down onto my roof or children.

Building a garden from scratch has been gratifying but has proved more time consuming and costly than anticipated. The process has been made cheaper with the help of friends willing to divide and share their perennials, and my penchant for seed starting, but it's still far from being the fertile green haven of my dreams.

Still, there have been some high points. The front garden is lovely, I've planted blueberries and a 'Celeste' fig, and next year our butterfly garden should be complete. It's on its way.