A Blast From the Past
On a whim I looked up the address of our old house in New York. It was our first house together, a little cute cape cod, and we had a fabulous, wild looking garden there. Ironically it had just been re-sold by a bank a few weeks prior to my google stalking. It appears the people who bought from us were foreclosed on. We sold in summer of 2009. They seem to have lost it in May 2017. At the very least, they sold it to a bank, who has been trying to sell it on and off for a while.
I probably shouldn't have looked. The interior was pretty rough looking (so much water damage and maybe a structural issue) and the gardens were no longer there, including even simple foundation plantings. It makes me wish we had rented an even bigger trailer and brought every single one of our plants with us.
Obviously, that would have been virtually impossible, especially since we were going to be staying with family for a few months while we found a house and I found a new job. We did bring a small U-haul full of the "important stuff". After all, in our contract we were allowed to move any plant we wanted.
The random glazed six celled tubes were originally our very slippery front walk. They also made up the foundation of this house. When we removed them, they became fun little planters.
We had great rocks everywhere we dug, so this garden was completely outlined with stones (and some wine bottles and other things for a bit of whimsy).
We only lived here for a few years. I can't imagine how everything would look if it had a chance to grow and mature. We know that most of our planting were taken out immediately after they took possession. Their real estate agent told us "they both worked and didn't have time to garden". Our agent laughed and laughed, as we both worked full-time and managed just fine.
We even had a mini-meadow. The Shasta Daisy got a little out of hand this particular year. Not bad for less than a quarter acre.
Looking back at these pictures always makes me a little homesick for the northeast. While I love a Texas style garden, I do miss the fresh, wild, cottagey look we had in New York.
Your cape cod and cottage garden were so pretty. It's odd they would remove plants when most of them would have looked just fine on their own. Every place presents a different opportunity so it's nice to see your Texas garden style down well.
ReplyDeleteThanks. We really loved that garden. It honestly was probably more work to take out everything and reestablish the grass.
DeleteI am sure if we sold our house the entire garden would be turned into a lawn again.
ReplyDeleteYour cottage and garden was adorable. The garden obviously thrived with you working people at the helm.
Thanks. It is a shame that gardening is only a hobby that stay at home folks can participate in. :)
DeleteSorry you had a sad experience looking back at the house and garden that were yours. The ephemeral nature of gardens is what makes experiencing them even more precious. Like a beautiful performance or fragile glass art, our gardens exist for a space in time and then just the memories of feelings are left impressed in our souls.
ReplyDeleteMusic, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory --
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.
Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heap'd for the beloved's bed;
And so thy thoughts when thou are gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Thanks.
DeleteYour former home and garden were wonderful! It's hard to go back but then maybe it's part of the process of finally letting go. The place my husband and I owned before our current place was a townhouse with a small backyard but I filled every inch of soil with plants and, while I brought some with me, I know I should have brought much more. I've driven by a few times as it's only 15 miles away and in an area I travel through regularly but my guess is that the lawn I dug out with my stepfather's help is now back and all my wonderful plants are gone.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because lawns can take a lot of regular work. In some ways, a garden can be so much easier. We just left the house in New York and have never been back to see it. Probably more shocking to see it after all this time.
DeleteIm sorry you had to see that. It took me several years before I could drive by my first house and garden. It was just too emotional, having poured my heart into the space and then left it behind when I moved to Portland with my then boyfriend. I dug so many plants to bring with me, it felt like I was leaving the land there bare. It’s hard to decide what to take and what to leave isn’t it?
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard. We took quite a bit (carnivorous, coleus collection, PawPaw trees, etc). Realistically, we were driving across the country in August with a dog and four cats, there was only so much we could bring.
DeleteDear Rebecca, I understand you. It's always a shame to see your former home with an abandoned garden and plants. Your photos show it was a very nice garden, tidy, comfortable. The meadow was so pretty.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your new garden in Texas is pretty one too.
Thanks. Our Texas garden is different than this one. It isn't "finished" nor does it have all the cute touches, but they will come with time.
DeleteWhat a pretty house and what lovely landscaping you did to complement the house. I know how you must feel but I hope the garden you have today makes up for this. It is sometimes hard to look back. We went back to the house that was my grandmas and we lived in in my teens. My grandfather had built the house and had the most beautiful English garden with all the elements you see in one, sunken garden, rockery, roses, fruit trees. The people had done nothing in 40 years, probably because of aging. We could barely make out any of the features except the bird bath my father had built in the 1930s. So sad because I loved that house and garden. As someone said this week, gardens are ttemporary things.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Sorry about your grandparents house.
DeleteThat daisy meadow is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe garden is the gardener--the garden is still with you, because it is you.