Birdsong Meadow: May 2026 Garden Update:
Birdsong Meadow is my ongoing cottage garden project on our quarter-acre lot in Southwest Colorado. This spring I’ve been slowly transforming part of our yard into a cottage-style garden area filled with flowers, raised beds of vegetables, winding pathways, and plenty of room for birds and pollinators.
Like most garden projects, it looks much better in my imagination than it does in real life right now. But I have a vision!
Since March, I’ve spent my mornings pulling weeds, moving mulch, transplanting flowers, and trying to create a whimsical garden space without spending very much money. Progress has been slow, but steady, and that’s enough for me.
In an earlier post, I shared my overall plans for gardening on a quarter-acre lot, and Birdsong Meadow has become one of my favorite parts of that vision. My plans have changed somewhat, as I’ve become more realistic about what I can manage, and I’m working with a smaller budget since closing my home daycare.
I’ve definitely not given up–I’ve just changed direction a bit!
🌿 What I Worked On
Weeds. So many weeds!
Birdsong Meadow sits on the west side of our property. We tried covering the area with fall leaves and grass clippings to help keep the weeds down, but there are plenty of areas where they began popping up this spring. The rest of our yard, except for a small garden near my she shed (Shedna Mae), is grass. Birdsong Meadow was just dirt. And weeds.
Looking at a project of this size, I could feel discouraged. Removing all the weeds is a big job. Because we are trying to tend our yard with minimal use of chemicals, I am pulling the weeds and throwing them away. To make it manageable, I pull or dig at least one bucket of weeds each day. Some days it’s only one bucket, other days it is three or four buckets. I also work in sections. Our wooden privacy fence borders Birdsong Meadow, and it is eight feet between each pole. I treat each eight-foot span as a section. Having one section that I am working on helps me not feel overwhelmed.
Repurposed Border
One unexpected benefit of closing my daycare was having a large supply of rubber mulch already on hand. Reusing materials from other parts of our property has helped keep the cost of Birdsong Meadow surprisingly low.
I knew that planting anything next to the privacy fence on the west side wouldn’t work, because Jesse Junebug Jones the border collie patrols the fence line as she obsesses over the neighbor’s chickens. Anything I would plant would only get trampled by doggy feet.
I decided to build a whimsical border. I had leftover landscape fabric, tons of rubber mulch, and rocks for edging. Because I have multiple projects going at once and I have my 4-year-old grandson several days a week, I haven’t quite finished the border, but it is getting there!
🌸 What I Planted
Arborvitae Windbreak
On Easter Sunday, my daughter and I planted six Emerald Green arborvitae trees at the south end of Birdsong Meadow. My original plan was to plant Blue Arrow juniper trees, but honestly, they were much more expensive than the arborvitae.
The goal with the arborvitae is to create a windbreak, as the majority of our wind comes from the south/southwest, as well as to provide something pretty to draw the eye down the meadow and block the view of the alley. When they are larger, they will provide habitat for the birds. The arborvitae trees were just under $10 at Walmart, and they are all around two to three feet tall and growing.
“Free” Plants
I created several little pockets of flowers at the entrances to Birdsong Meadow by moving plants from the garden near my she shed. I have catmint that I brought from our old home, hens and chicks that were my mom’s, and lamb’s ear that I traded some iris for. Honestly, my transplants are currently a little unhappy, but I think they will rebound. If they don’t survive, I’m not out anything except a little bit of time!
I have some Russian Sage I am planning to move from a different area. I think it will look so pretty along the edge of the meadow!
Weak Moments at the Garden Center
My original plan was to not buy any new plants for the meadow this year, except for the trees, and use only things I have already. I even wrote a post about it and printed out my Cottage Garden Reminders. But somehow I purchased a daisy and some alyssum. My defense is that they’re perennials. Surely perennial purchases don’t count the same as annual purchases.
🌷Staying Encouraged in “The Messy Middle”
Birdsong Meadow still looks messy. I have partially finished pathways, raised beds to fill and place, stepping stones and various rocks to use…It’s still a long way from the charming garden I picture in my head. And I’m okay with that. I am only one Granny. How do I keep myself encouraged here in “the messy middle?” Well, I’ll tell you.
I count every tiny win. Every bucket of weeds pulled. Every wheelbarrow of mulch moved. Every plant that hasn’t died. Every way I come up with to create my whimsical little meadow for very little money.
And the biggest thing is, I remember that gardens are always a work in progress. If I hired a landscaping company to come in and make a garden area for me, I don’t think it would reflect my personality as much as the garden I am creating. This garden area is probably going to take me the rest of the year to complete, working a little each day, and learning as I go.
🌾 Little Things I’ve Learned
Speaking of learning, there is always something new to learn, isn’t there?
First, if you clear an area of weeds, more weeds will grow in their place unless you cover the soil. In some areas I used landscape fabric, and in others I used cardboard, and then covered it up with mulch.
Here are some other things that I’ve learned this month that have been very helpful:
- When making a border, a handy trick is to lay out a hose to create curves, and then mark where your border is going to be. It helps create a more natural, flowing look to the border.
- When placing rocks in the garden, dig down a bit, so the rock is partially buried. This helps it look like it’s been there for a while, rather than just a rock sitting on top of the ground.
- And finally, if your soil is dry, hard, and compacted and you are having a hard time digging or pulling weeds, give it a light watering. Not enough to make a muddy mess, but enough to moisten the soil and make it easier to dig.
🌱 What I’m Still Figuring Out
- How to keep ahead of the weeds without spending all summer pulling them. The bindweed is starting to have a little party.
- Proper spacing for some of my transplants. In the small garden next to my she shed, I did not allow enough space for walkways between beds and was surprised when lamb’s ear and penstemon began taking over my paths! I hope to avoid this mistake in the future.
- Where future projects, like the greenhouse, will fit into the overall design (and into the budget).
🌼 Looking Ahead to June
In June, I hope to continue covering bare ground with cardboard and mulch, install drip irrigation in several areas, and perhaps give the wishing wells a little makeover. The meadow is still very much a work in progress, but each month it feels a little more like the garden I’ve been imagining.
For now, I’ll keep pulling my bucket of weeds each day and reminding myself that even the prettiest gardens start out looking like a lot of dirt and determination.
Until next time, happy gardening!🌱
