it's an incredible fortune to have outdoor space in new york city. the yard, which is roughly the same size as my last studio apartment in astoria, really sold us on the place. even though i knew i'd be leaving soon for china - and be gone an entire year - i couldn't help but dig in (ha!). my obsession with plants grew quickly, now that i had all this square footage to work with.

previously, i channeled my energies into much smaller gardens.

that first summer, i planted a butterfly japanese maple, a profusion of ferns, a few hydrangeas, clusters of coleus, some ivy, a few herbs, and called it a day. i had no idea which plants would grow back the next year and which wouldn't. if there are plants in the photos i haven't mentioned, it's because i no longer remember their names. i didn't know what i was doing, but i still had a good time.

this is what the yard looked like our first summer here.

i also had a 2x2 patch of herbs (citronella, parsley, mint, basil, and rosemary) right by the door.

and then, i went to beijing and winter came. while i was away, i did a lot of pinning in lieu of planting. and now, it's almost spring again. i am so excited. technically, it's already spring. but there are no leaves on any trees along my street, so i'm pretty sure spring has not yet come to my part of brooklyn. in the next few weeks, i'm going to be taking it to a whole new level. stay tuned.

now, it looks like this. no snow, but still pretty barren.

okay, so it wasn't as if i did no gardening at all while in china. an old instagram from my beijing sill.