After what seems like an incredibly long winter, HSWT has dusted off its wheels, donned its rain canopy, and is strolling headfirst into spring.  Rather than park it in front of my laptop during nap (which is oh-so-tempting), I’ve been schlepping topsoil and mulch for the latest and greatest Kelly landscaping project. Brian continues to cheer me on as I reduce his mowing time with every bag of soil, and this project takes a notable chunk out of our back yard.

I’m pretty sure our neighbors think I’m crazy…

As we continue to work with Alexander on increasing his sensory tolerance, I had the idea to create a special garden just for him. We decided to expand from our raised beds with mulch walkways and a lower, fenceless  area perfect for toddler exploration. I’ve had great fun researching plants that are completely edible so that Alexander can touch, sniff, and nibble on everything planted.  Even though he was initially skeptical wandering into his new garden, he is warming up to inspecting the tiny swiss chard seedlings and poking his hands into the dirt. Just yesterday, Alexander pulled me over to a large pot of spearmint and peppermint in the corner of his garden. While he poked around the pot, I pulled a leaf, rubbed it a little, and sniffed it in front of him. He took it from me, gave it a sniff, and broke out into a huge smile. After a little more exploration, he toddled over to his rosemary plant (which is not faring so well considering the snow we received after it was planted) and carefully stroked its leaves and sniffed his hand.

Alexander’s landscaping service– he is happy to take payment in the form of puffs and fruit pouches.

While we know that we will need to supervise Alexander in the other facets of our gardens, we really look forward to letting him romp in his new flower, veggie, and herb beds.  I plan to share photos of Alexander’s garden as it evolves from a pile-o-dirt to a lush landscape. The nasturtiums and bright lights variety swiss chard are already poking through. Last night, as we wrangled Alexander inside after an afternoon play session, Brian noted that our little guy had grass stains on his jeans. I couldn’t be more proud.

Postscript- I am always soliciting new ideas of plants to add to Alexander’s garden. We’re hoping to keep it almost entirely edible. Please feel free to comment with ideas– we could use them!