Garden Gate Series - Pattie Hill

I have been looking at these books at my local Half Price books for years.  I finally picked up the first one and when I finally started reading it, it was another one of those mad dashes to try and find the other two. 

The series begins with Like a Well Watered Garden.  Mibby Garret is doing good to get out of bed and stumble through the day after unexpectedly loosing her husband in a bicycle accident just six months earlier.  It's not until she realizes that the only thing to eat in the house is Kool-Aid and crackers that she decides somethings got to give.  Mibby loves gardening and is a garden designer.  In the midst of continuing the kitchen remodel that she began with her husband and trying to keep her finances above water, Mibby begins to get back into life.  A mysterious stranger's arrival threatens to unravel it all.

In book two, Always Green, Mibby continues to struggle through her new role as single parent to a now teenage son as well as her struggling business.  The opportunity for romance trickles in, but Mibby isn't convinced that there's a man out there measures up to her deceased husband.  Between pesky clients and house emergencies, Mibby's life is far from boring.

Book three, In Every Flower, would be a give away for the other two if I told you about it, so I won't.  It is just as enjoyable as the previous two, so I'd really suggest getting your hands on all three to prevent any mad searches. 

My favorite part of these books aside from the whole storyline was how author Patti Hill begins each chapter.  Each chapter number is a date in her garden journal. 

July 20
Patchy clouds raised the humidity but that's all.  Tough year to keep potted plants happy.  Next year, add polymer granules to the soil.  Good news; pincushions and butterfly flowers blooming well in the heat.  yay!

There were bits of gardening dispersed throughout all three books and that just made it all the more enjoyable of a series.