Hobbit Garden: Winter 2026
It has been almost a year since I last posted a garden update and, while we are about at the same stage as last time, there have been some big changes!
Back in November, we had a crew come who tore out all the grass, deep weeded, trimmed bushes, and laid down a thick layer of this beautiful oak mulch. While grass and weeds are, of course, trying to come back, it is now much more manageable and less overwhelming.
After that, we removed the type of blackberry we weren’t a fan of (triple crown) and are trying to spread out the ones we do (freedom arc). Volunteers of both are cropping up (not in the beds) and our remaining bushes have yielded a bunch of berries, way more than its twice-a-season promise. A few nasturtiums have also started to grow and we’re hoping to scatter more seeds so they help keep the grass down. Though we still want to add more lights, we found these handblown glass mushroom solar lights from Costco that have been a magical addition to our hobbit garden. We are waiting to see if they go on sale so we can buy a bunch for the front and back yards too.
I have cut down the basil and added more soil to the herb bed, the thyme and green onions going strong. While we tried propagating basil sprouts again, it once again sadly failed. The soil got moldy, which meant it was overwatered, but then it dried up like it didn’t have enough. Guess we’ll just have to try again.
I finally got to set up my sweet pea bed and they are very happy. Getting tall very quickly and just started blooming. Sweet peas are my favorite flower because I just love how they smell.
The front yard looks so much better than it did before though I like that the bushes are starting to fill out again. The mystic spires are in bloom so we can look forward to the return of bees and bumblebees when it isn’t cold anymore. Our citrus trees didn’t bloom or fruit last season, but winter has been cold enough we are hopeful for fruit this year. Also our mint has come back with force and is happy to have more room to spread.
The backyard is the least changed, full of returning nasturtiums and a lot of passionfruit babies cropping up. We are planning to replant some closer to the wall so it can help cover the back fence. And that means we will get a ton of butterflies. I miss all our flowers so hopefully we can add a few little ones to the back bed again soon. I also got a pomegranate tree in October and am excited to see how he grows!
The best part about getting our lawns done is we got to put all our little garden figures back and you can actually see them. We also got two new gnome friends for the front yard to help mark the path as they are solar powered.
We haven’t talked about what our plans are moving forward, but here is the list I have in my bujo to give you an idea of what you can look forward to seeing.