Holly, I'll bet you are excited!!!
Spring Projects now Summer Projects!
Janet, There are many more brick to come, these are only the 1st 500. LOL I have a good size wisteria that has been sprawling over my driveway for quite a few years now and I asked Ric to build me a large arbor. It will be 14 X 14 feet and span part of the parking area between the patio and my potting shed. Ric decided to remove the stone from the driveway and replace it with brick. He says he is only doing the 14 X 14ft area which is about 1/2 of the driveway, waiting to see if he stops there. He says it will be a fall project but we will be traveling for 5 weeks between the end of August and the middle of Nov so I have no idea when this fall he thinks he will work on it. I had been hoping /expecting to have the arbor up before the wisteria bloomed this spring but that just didn't happen. So now I'm looking forward to next spring. This is the area that will be bricked and covered with the arbor. I don't park the car down this far anymore as it has become more of a work area with the potting shed sitting there, the storage area with a grow light set up and all my gardening things. I keep my flats and other plants in this protected area while they are hardening off or waiting to be planted.
Stormy, The way to a girls heart RR Ties. Swoon..........
Things are moving along here and there bit by bit. I am still working on removing the forsythia and I have started cutting back the Quince and digging out the suckers. When I get it back to where I want it I'm going to dig in a barrier and expand that little shade bed behind the potting shed.
You guys are just working your butts off!
Poor Ric is hurting today. He spent some time this morning drafting out the floor plan and laying lines for the ties. Then he went and took a very well deserved nap.
I dug out behind the bathtub and planted the cannas. that will probably never get big enough to see, let alone flower, as I'm planting them so late. Now all I need is an empty trailer and a load of mulch, and I can put that project on the finished list. Until it is time to plant bulbs this fall. LOL
Holly:
That wisteria is beautiful and to have that area to create with for it to continue growing, it is just going to beautiful. I can see it now.
I like the brick patio under the tent. That is very nice.
Janet
ps thanks for the pics.
Thanks Janet,
Jamie and Ric unloaded the RRties and now I have an empty trailer. Hope to pick up a load of mulch this morning. That would put the finishing touches on the bathtub water feature. They dropped the ties in the yard close to where they will go. In this pic you can see approx how much bigger the gazebo patio will be. Once Ric sets the ties I can fill the corners with dirt and start planting. Yes, I still have plants in the driveway waiting for theses beds. LOL Then we will start digging up the driveway stone and moving some of it to the gazebo for fill under the expanded brick areas. That will be a bonus as we need to remove stone from the driveway to lay the brick patio by the wisteria. Guess that is a twofer, two jobs for one effort.
Wow you really are making it larger, that will be very nice. Can't wait to see your end product...
Janet
Janet, We put up the Gazebo 2 years ago and added the brick last year. There will be flower beds that wrap around all 4 corners about 2ft or so in each direction. It is really surprising how much difference that little gazebo makes to our outdoor use. We have very little shade in the back yard and it makes a very nice cool spot to sit for my parents and anyone that needs to stay out of the sun.
This link will take you to a thread that shows the whole project up to this year.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/894130/
Holly, you should consider building a pergola. I had a shade thing before we built ours but the pergola is much nicer and not hard to build.
Hart, We had been talking of building a pavilion of some type, but then I took a liking to these metal and canvas topped gazebos. I would image that I will need to replace it in the next few years, I have already had to repair it at a few spots. Ric will probably build something a bit more permanent but it will have a real weatherproof roof. The trellis for the wisteria will be more pergola like. It will be over on the side of the house but it will have a brick floor and be about 14 X 14 ft. Can't put anything like that over the raised brick patio at the sliding glass doors as that is where I get my solar heat gain. There is 18ft of glass that wraps around the corner of the great-room with an insulated concrete slab floor inside.
Ours doesn't have a solid roof, just slats for shade.
My shade thing lasted about a year and then a bad storm came through. I looked out and the shade house was lifted off the ground on three legs. Here I was standing in pelting rain with lightning all around trying to keep it from flying into the pond. The wind twisted the metal supports so badly it couldn't be repaired. I had it very secure in the ground with tent pegs but the wind was so ferocious during that storm, it just tore it right out of the ground.
I'd make sure yours has at least two or three pegs per leg.
Mines screwed to the RRties. It's been up for 2 years. We take the top off for the winter don't want to see if if would hold up in the snow. The frame gives some nice winter interests to the yard.
Holly, that will be a wonderful improvement to that space. Can't wait to see the finished project. I really enjoyed that spaced at the swap.
That was a smart way to secure it. I was so upset when the storm ruined mine. The metal was twisted like a wrung out washrag. It probably would have been okay if all four legs and come loose but the wind was whipping it around with the one leg still attached to the ground.
We use it a lot Ladyg.
Well, We have one project down. Put the finishing touches on the Bathtub Pond today. I will be doing a few small things to it later. Most of the plants Callas and Dahlias will need to be pulled this fall and spring bulbs will need to be planted. I'm thinking maybe putting in some edging and that would be a good time to do that. But I don't expect to do anything until then. If you want to get a better look at it you can take this link to the Watergarden Forum.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1008082/
Was able to get a lot accomplished yesterday. Still have more to do.
Jen, That looks real nice. You are putting in some hard work and it really shows. Is that in the area where the tree came down?
I used your cardboard/newspaper trick in a part along the one side of the Bathtub. The area under the pines has landscape fabric under them but the grass has encroached didn't want to plant in that area but didn't want to mow it either. When I dug out behind the bathtub I just used your method for the part where I wasn't planting to give a nicer mow line. In this pic you can see the area that was papered.
And here all covered with mulch.
I love that bath tub. Great color and the running faucet is perfect. Wonderful idea that has come to reality.
Thanks for sharing. Just love it. The spot you chose is perfect too.
I just did some laying down of newspapers today to clean up a bed I started last year. Got to get more dirt now to finish it off.
Thanks for sharing
Janet
Holly, that looks great. I didn't realize you were doing water garden. Do you have any water lilies in there? I don't have any minis and the ones I have would take over the whole thing in no time, but there are some really pretty mini water lilies.
Hart I have 2 other small water gardens, the box pond and that bird bath pond. They are all little, a large pond is in the plans but not sure when that will get worked on. Yes, I have a couple of small waterlilies and I have a couple in the bathtub, not sure what type of water lily it is, Josh's house had a pretty disgusting non functioning pond in the back yard and this water lily came from there. so far doesn't look like it will be huge but we will see.
You can always move it if it gets too big.
Someday soon we all may need to find another source of 'old newspapers'. or stores wll be selling it blank for eating crabs etc!!
(LOL hart, concrete as the bottom layer of lasagne)
jen. looks good! so nice when its all spaced and mulched unlike my wild child beds.
janet, I suppose you'll share pics when finished- Please!
holly- beautfiul shade of red, someone there has a good color eye.
LOL, I told you guys at the swap that the color would POP when I cleaned it up. Have to find the can with the name of the color, I've had a lot of comments on it. Of course it would look much better with you sitting in it. I'm going to try a waterlily topiary of your legs hanging over the edge. LOL
Sally:
For sure on sharing pictures, I started a thread last year in garden design about my new garden. Take a look if ya want. All of the beds were started with newspapers. Never will I dig or till another garden bed. Raised beds over layers of newspapers is the way to go.
Beginning last year http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/849382/
Part two this year http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/989675/
Janet
Hey Janet- What a transformation! Thanks for the links.
Janet, I am working thru your threads, thank you so much for posting the links, can't wait to finish. That is a huge job and such an improvement. Your comment about the neighbors nice yards and them coming over. I just bet they did! I had noticed how nice it was and thought bet they just love what you are doing. Just had to comment on your lily of the Nile as soon as I saw it. It is high on my acquire list but I have been waiting until my GH is up to get one. I didn't think they were hardy to my Zone 6, is it hardier than I thought or do you dig it out for the winter? Must get to my watering will finish later.
Great job in just one year. It looks fantastic.
Thanks for the comments yall. It has been work but it has been fun work if ya know what I mean.
HollyAnn: the lily of the nile didn't make it. I really covered it with leaf humus but it is too tender for up here. I did collect all the seeds from it. Last year was my first year it was an early fine at Lowes and darn them for not carrying it again this year. Haven't been able to find that plant anywhere. It really made the flower bed corner pop last year. I enjoyed that plant more than any other I planted last year.
I didn't get seeds planted to try and have another one this year. If you want some seeds dm your address and I'll send ya some. Can't say if they will grow or not seeing has how I'm too new to this plant.
Janet
Janet, Here is a pic for you. Brookgreen Garden in S.C. saw these and I fell in love. One of these days I will have some of them.
Thanks for sharing that beautiful picture HollyAnn. I just love their look before they bloom, while they bloom and their bloom period is all summer, and the seed heads at a lot of interest to the fall garden.
I so loved mine, just wish I had another one, but now if I was to find a plant there really wouldn't be enough time for it to show off before the fall arrives.
We are having temps in the 60's .....
Janet
I'm with you Janet. My last 3 projects were done with corrugate and newspaper put down over the grass and, in our case, since we have clay and slate soil, we had a load of amended topsoil dropped on the areas that we wanted for garden beds.
The last one that we did started like this with paper put down and soil dumped on top just leaving a path to the bilco door (to have access to basement). This area really was an eyesore when in the back yard.
Started to take shape.
Then it was just a matter of filling it with stuff from co-ops, swaps, sales, friends contributions and mother's day gifts. I will take a picture of it tomorrow morning if it is not raining.
Just learned how to take a night time picture with my camera. Here's the new bed around the bilco door.
Roses what a green thumb you have, it is very beautiful. Job well done. I love all your little statues too...LOL
Janet
Thanks for sharing the pictures. I so love seeing how others go about their creations of new beds.
Thanks Janet,
I just went and looked at the link to your beds. You really made a huge transformation when you moved to that house. Your beds look fantastic. My beds have no edging and are mounded for easy mowing. I wonder if I will be losing much topsoil because of the way that I mound them. Anyway, I am sure that this is my last new bed because I am beginning to slow down at my age and won't be able to keep up with them if I add more.
Again, I really enjoyed opening your link and seeing what you have done, your robins, and your pets.
Teri
Teri:
Thanks for you kind comments, it has been so much fun creating them. This February my oldest Acacia and one of her daughters Blessing passed away and within a week of each other. Blessing had cancer she was 9 and her mother Acacia was 13.5 from old age. Like to have killed me losing them both so close. I do have Acacia's other daughter Sarah who just turned 12 in April, and her 3 kids.
My work is very demanding and just knowing I can come home to DH, collies and my garden make everything at work worth it.
I did small amount of gardening back when we lived in KY but these last two years I've gone nuts.... so much so that my garden club thought I would make a good President....LOL I'm enjoying the roll as I get to do something for my community and get to talk gardening with those that live in my community.
Janet
Janet,
Sorry about the loss of your pets. You do seem to keep yourself very busy, which helps the grieving when you focus on other things. Keep the pictures coming please.
Teri