A Walk Through the Garden
An inheritance of fairy houses, black raspberries, and daffodils
Dear friends,
If you popped over to visit there would be couple things you’d see right away: the barn, our shady backyard, or maybe the powder pink door I’m planning to repaint. If you stuck around a bit longer you’d notice sounds of the train rolling by in the distance or hints of the ocean just through the trees. It oozes an idyllic, cozy cottage scene. And it’s the closest we’ll come to living within the PBS solider-turned-priest television drama, Grantchester.
We aren’t the first to rent this bungalow. A few years back another family lived here with their three kids and a brood of chickens. Even after the presence of other tenants, the house whispers the story of that particular family with stickers, paint, and pottery tucked away for someone else to find. These artifacts were our first clue the backyard might hold more than meets the eye.
The Fairy Village
When we first arrived just before Christmas the half-acre was blanketed in fallen leaves. Landscapers soon came to blow them away. Their work, which took an entire day, uncovered an unimaginable amount of magic. We discovered a fairy village, four garden gnomes, colorful gemstones, a family of dragons, marbles, seashells, painted rocks, a gargoyle, and an old fountain. I spent several cold days walking around the yard with a rake, sometimes a stick, searching for all the bits and bobs I could rescue. The more I looked, the more I found. Some of the fairy houses were beyond repair. Severed elves came up from the dirt and the large ceramic frog was crushed. Still, there was more than enough to enjoy.
I quickly began to organize the trinkets and place them in their new spots around the yard. I put a few houses in the preexisting rock garden, the gnomes along the perimeter where flowers would grow to offer shade, and a couple fairyland creatures in the corner where the girls have found endless play in an old tree stump.
Garden Beds & a Raspberry Bush
As I raked up remaining leaves and tidied up a pile of old firewood I found garden beds built into the perimeter of the yard. I quickly learned the tenants before last were avid gardeners. Remnants of strawberries, tomatoes, green onions, mugwort, and other edibles proved this point.
A chat with my landlord confirmed the large, thorny bush I’d been working around was in fact a black raspberry bush. It was well established and stretched into the neighbors yard and over into the adjacent horse pasture. A man from church encouraged me to prune heavily. He insisted the bush would do well because of it. I wasted no time and came home that day in late February to trim it back. Since then it’s done really well, just as he said.
I constructed three more garden beds over a stretch of patchy grass where a previous vegetable garden may have been. I added fresh compost, topsoil, and simple borders of wattle fencing. I planted peas, cucumbers, zucchini, beets, carrots, green onions, spinach, lettuce, and herbs, and pumpkins! There’s a range of flowers planted, too. Astilbe, zinnia, marigold, pansy, snapdragon, forget-me-not, and a few others are hopeful companions this summer.
The stage is now set. Who’s to say which characters will appear and what they’ll say? My planning was the most haphazard and casual it’s been in years. My primary aim is to have fun this time around and to get reacquainted with Massachusetts’ growing season.
Darling Daffodils
The previously mentioned rock garden kept me guessing in the colder months, but as the ground thawed, I started to catch on. Huge (and miniature) varieties of yellow and orange daffodils, clusters of blue hyacinths, and hostas came up from the dirt. Easter was all the sweeter with their blooms in view from my kitchen windows.
The bulbs, along with the raspberry bush and fairy houses, are gifts. Material gifts, yes, but also immaterial. Isn’t that how gardens work, both literally and figuratively? They invite problem-solving and imagination. They start conversation. They pull my attention (and that of the littles) to the land around us, wildlife included. Going outside with my preschooler and toddler is a bit of a blessed paradox: we spend time together, but also apart, I’m able to rest through the rhythms of yard work and weeding, and the dirt (mostly) washes away the worries of the day.
I’m not sure why these treasures were left behind or not otherwise destroyed in the years between families. Lucky for us, the overgrown garden protected all that we needed to find. We’ll care for it the best we can and one day pass it on to the next family who might need a little sanctuary.
With peace,
Elizabeth
Related Resources
Write (or refresh) your Rule of Life with this three part video series.
The 2025-2026 liturgical calendar guide will be available come July. Follow my Etsy shop to be notified when it’s ready.
Catch-up on the first iteration of Notes by Candlelight. Second edition forthcoming!
Oh my goodness, what a whimsical find!! I love that you've preserved and extended that sweet village. We have little fairy garden bits and bobs around, and though they get overgrown, they're always a delight when I find them.