Better Angels
The last garden to be developed was just below the basketball hoop and driveway. While the boys were home, tens of thousands of basketball shots were directed toward the hoop, some swished, some missed badly, and some were blocked sideways. The spilt rail fence had been placed to protect some modest little plantings. The spruce tree on the south side of the driveway had also grown and its shade prevented ice from melting in the winter. In 2004, the last of the boys left for college, the basketball hoop and spruce tree came down, and a garden became a possibility.
The original planting was anchored to the east with a Star Magnolia and filled with a mixture of both perennials and annuals. With many passersby, this is a very public space in which to garden and many people stop to comment and talk.