It only seems fair to share a few pictures from my garden...
Hah! Just kidding...those pictures were taken at the Portland Japanese Garden!
April 2003...
Before I caught the "gardening bug"...
July 2003
The wisteria vine is new in 2003...I also recall getting more interested in containers...as well as the scalloped lines in the back
June 2004
We left Maryland for about 10 months...I was so anxious to get back to our grassy back yard! My love affair with edging began around this time...
August 2004
Aha...the flagstone walkway appears! And how about those hostas divided and transplanted...and the rooted and transplanted pachysandra!...you go girl!
I ended up pulling out that variegated euonymous at the front door...it was just too happy there and was crowding the azaleas and pachysandra.
I ended up pulling out that variegated euonymous at the front door...it was just too happy there and was crowding the azaleas and pachysandra.
We inherited the kidney shaped garden from the previous owners...try as I might, I never did come to like that floating garden...later on we transplanted the plants into a new border garden, leaving the dwarf magnolia in place...its SO much better now!
When we first moved in, the corner where the girls are sitting was literally a dandelion garden...the soil was packed and dry...i can't recall the last time i saw a dandelion...crab grass yes...but no more dandelions (or balloons)
May 2005
Is there any more promising time in the garden than May? Oh I love it!
May 2006
Plants getting bigger...ground cover filling in...and...
August 2006
The risks of too much fertilizer...
December 2006
We were sad to see it go...along with a bunch of trees and azaleas...BUT...we got more sunlight and a burst of enthusiasm about re-drawing our front garden!
Uh oh...
Looks like we'll have some work to do...
September 2007
PUMPKINS!
Some trees came down during construction next door...what do they say about lemons and lemonade? Well, we made pumpkins instead!
We got a wood fence on one side, he got a nylon one all around :)
The construction next door provided an opportunity to get down and dirty with our side yard. I sometimes wonder if I would have ever tackled the project otherwise. I am SO thrilled that I did and love how its grown and evolved over the last year or so!
April 2008
Here it all comes...
July 2008
Just look at those hosta! Okay, the boy is kinda cute too!
March 2009
May 2009
You know how it goes, you get one thing fixed (the exterior paint) and something else breaks (your husband's knee)...
May 2009
This is the beginning of a project that I didn't really see coming...I have always wanted a patio and have always disliked moving all our "stuff" just to mow...
Po' Boys Patio...
Unfortunately, these are the only pictures I have to show how the front garden filled out and the "new" garden to the right of the driveway...that was a hard place to mow!
Winter 2010 -- OMG I thought it would never end!
The snow was so heavy, my holly trees became horizontal...I looked like a crazy person trying to save them...(btw, they survived)
My electricity failed but thankfully I still had my coffee!!
April 2010
Patio Garden Terrace Mulch-Pit Thing...
It continues to evolve and we continue to not quite know how to refer to it...I do like the addition of the rocks which have come from all over the neighborhood...
My latest concept is to use it as a staging area for trial plants that I find on sale...now that I am in business for myself, I find myself wanting to get more experimental...have I mentioned how much fun I am having?!
My latest concept is to use it as a staging area for trial plants that I find on sale...now that I am in business for myself, I find myself wanting to get more experimental...have I mentioned how much fun I am having?!
most ambitious project to date...a retaining/sitting wall and patio...
clearly i caught my husband at a weak moment and he agreed to help me with this...i suspect we are 1/3 - 1/2 way done but he is definitely regretting his decision :)
below: materials delivered...batterboards built and put to use marking level lines (what a concept!)
below: materials delivered...batterboards built and put to use marking level lines (what a concept!)
diggin diggin diggin...
dig out dirt, make level, add stone, make level, add wood, make level...repeat until it gets dark...
bye-bye bricks!
the brick patio was here when we moved in...its never been big enough to have any benefit whatsoever! i am sooooo looking forward to getting rid of it TODAY!
hmmm...on second thought...
"you were right honey...we will need to have some retaining wall over there afterall..."
what's next?...
tomorrow, 9 TONS of gravel will be delivered to my driveway...and that is not all that we will need, just what fits in a truck! oh my...
correction...they brought all 18 TONS of gravel today...
no worries...right?
before we can get to the gravel, we have to nail in some landscape cloth...no wrinkles either! this turned out to be very labor intensive and a little tough on the knees...thankfully it came in a 12 foot width which was easy to work with...
before we can get to the gravel, we have to nail in some landscape cloth...no wrinkles either! this turned out to be very labor intensive and a little tough on the knees...thankfully it came in a 12 foot width which was easy to work with...
cloth, edging, gravel, tamp...
that was our mantra for the weekend...
gravel day two...
so we got our base layer down, now its time to get artsy with salvaged flagstone from a tear-down up the road...as well as brick from our old patio...
hip hip hooray for monday!
it was nice to have the "heavy lifting" pretty much done...my husband went to work and the kids went to school...i enjoyed puttering about...used salvaged brick for a garbage can pad, mulched and worked on some creative elements...
of course everyone was put back to work when they got home :)
ready to enjoy...
thanks to home depot for the inexpensive and comfortable adirondack chairs and cushions...they are zero maintenance and stack easily
the brick patio has re-invented itself in the front yard as a mowing strip between the garden and the grass...this will be my first experience with a mowing strip and i'm looking forward to seeing how it performs this summer!
the brick patio has re-invented itself in the front yard as a mowing strip between the garden and the grass...this will be my first experience with a mowing strip and i'm looking forward to seeing how it performs this summer!
the driveway is functional again...our left over supplies have been relocated to the other side of the house...we still have some bricks and gravel, but i am certain we'll have a use for them...in the meantime, i've planted galvanized buckets with pretty annuals...more pics to follow...