"Risen From the Ashes"...a Cottage Garden

Hi,

I wasn't sure where to put the photos of this 4 year project, so...I put them in one place and am linking to the post.

Lots of photos from the misery...up...lol

Click here - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1018194/

This message was edited Jul 23, 2009 6:14 AM

LOL - 2 old turtles!
Such a wonderful story painted in words & memorialized in photos. Truly an inspiration!
I'll remember this the next time I want a picky picket fence!!!

so my question to you is: what plants are you wanting that you don't have?
I am certifiably Z7, but like to share!
LMK - kate

Your story is an amazing journey. Lovely.

I can't begin to imagine the heartbreak.....but the Phoenix has risen and it is sooo beautiful....you have done an amazing job in such a short time....we all look forward to seeing future pictures!!

Katye...
Thank you...and what a wonderful offer. I'll have to think about it... I don't know...lol I have been tooo busy looking at pickets.. but what a SWEET SWEET OFFER! Hmmmmmmm......something fragrant! How about that! I'll pay postage!

Thanks Willow and Trisha...really! It didn't feel fast, but now looking back... it went fast...kinda ...sorta.... kinda ....not...LOL. I had been thinking of making some kind of street number sign that has a Phoenix on it. Like a laser rock ...just something.

Ok..off to bed for me...

Thanks again... I did have fun sharing it all. Your comments make it that much more fun!

Huggies...

Night night........

Great job!!! It is very inspirational. I just wanted to growl at the contractor. Very well done!

Wow! What a devastating thing to come home to, but you sure met that challenge head on and didn't let it stop you, though I bet your heart stopped for several moments when you first saw it. Your garden is beautiful again now and doubly precious because of its history. Kudos to you!!

What an amazing transformation, both to the yard and house. It's darling - I bet you're the envy of all the neighbors. You must be so pleased that all your hard hard work has paid off so well.

Are you going to be at the 'round up' in August? I can bring you some crocasmia.

Jan, MauryHillFram & Gwendalou,

Thanks! When I saw what the guy had done it was much more then a "moment of horror"... I was devastated for a month. I just wandered around poking through the dirt picking up a bulb here and there...or just trying to remember what was where...or what HAD been where.

Now that we are getting back on track my mind is just racing about what I can do now. We have YET to touch the backyard. Ugh...but...I'm getting ideas as we go.

It's been a lot of fun listening to the neighbors alllll comment on the fence. There has been one "Negative Nelly" come by making a few "you'll be sorry when you have to paint that some day" comments, but we just ignored him.

Thanks for the invite to the August Round Up. That's the weekend my partner flies back home after being on the road for a few weeks. I try to keep a mellow schedule until he gets some rest under his belt. But...THANKS x 100 for the very kind offer!

I think the fence is beautiful and would love to have one! If your neighbor doesn't care for it I recommend that He doesn't put one up at his house. Too bad some people spend more time worrying about other people instead of their own issues....you have to feel sorry for them...they must have very boring lives.

Don't forget to share ideas and pictures when you start work on the back yard...I am sure it is going to be beautiful!

Photos are a promise Trisha!

Well..... there are a LOT of grumps in the world. I've worked with the public since I was 16 yrs old....and I can blow off a rude person with the best of 'em...lol The BEST way to make a grumpy negative person insane is to be cheerful ..lol

We live in a rural neighborhood, and most everyone is invisible unless you need something. There are very few kids out here...it's mostly a neighborhood full of 50+ people. It was seriously funny to watch the evening parade of "Lookie-Lou's". Everyone was very very enthused except that one guy. I think it made Carl twice as proud.

Anyhow... I'm sure it will be a royal pain to paint some day, but with Carl on one side and me on the other it will be fine. We looked at a lot of vinyl fence, and the tempting aspects of (very low maintenance) it just didn't quite look like what I needed to see.

I'll be planting more lavender this fall (it's too hot now) and getting bulbs in too. I'm very very excited about it all. The backyard STILL scares me, but at least we are getting a game plan.

Thanks again..

poof*

That's what my mom always said about grouchy people - kill them with kindness and it drives them nuts!

Such a sad story, but with a beautiful ending!

It is really too bad that you won't be able to make roundup, as so many of us have quite a bit to share. I know that there are many of us who are collecting seeds for a seed exchange as well, and I would love to gather a collection of seeds from myself and others and send them your way if you would like. I have some wonderful "cottage garden" type seeds like poppies, nicotiana, columbine, daisies, and lots of crocosmia bulbs that I would be more than happy to send your way. If you are interested, let me know what you would like and I will see what I can do.

Congrats on not letting the devestation win! (and not hunting down and lynching the contractor....I don't think I could have held myself back!)

Rarejem,
I would LOVE a collection of seeds from you (and the people attending the roundup!). Do you sell or swap? You have mentioned quite a few of the plants I'd like to put in. The areas on the outside of the fences are going to be more suited for drought resistant plants. That area does get some water, but not near like the main yard does.

Would love some fun seeds that will start in the soil. TY TY! In the fire...the one thing I have not mentioned was that I LOST my 10' x 60' green house in the fire. The insurance company DID get out of paying for that because it had been attached to the house for stability. It was free standing EXCEPT for braces...and that ALLOWED those ruthless, throat cutting maggots to classify the green house as part of the main structure (which had a $$$ cap on the policy). The cost to replace that greenhouse with heat etc was about $27k...and they got out of paying for it. I wanted to take both the contractor AND that insurance agent and toss them off the local cliff. I LIVED out in that room during the winter months~ and also housed many large plants for neighbors that had no place to winter them over. I wintered over all my fuchsia's, geraniums, cactus..you name it! I had roooooom to spare and shared the winter space with many. I kept it about 40°-45° out there and it was PERFECT. Starting seeds on window sills has lost it's charm for me. But...if I can sow these types of seeds directly into the ground...then ... count me in please! Poppies, nicotiana, columbine seeds would be so neat. I have a small area of crocosmia but would love more! TY TY TY... I'll DM you my addy and happily pay for postage! Maybe next year I can attend the swap. Carl travels a lot and my weekends are often spent rescuing his weary bones from airports...and getting him TO the airport...lol

Speaking of Crocosmia...I stopped on my way to work last week to take this picture. I have been driving past this place for 3 years every day.... and I FINALLY decided to pull over and take a photo of their Crocosmia stand in full bloom! IS THIS NOT STUNNING??!!! I can tell it's C-Lucifer...

"Hedge of Lucifer"
That is a stunner! I'd love to see the Hummingbird Starwars that occur there.

LOLOLOL...that's seriously FUNNY Katye!

I bet one needs to wear a bicycle helmet if weeding in that area. Little feisty hummers going everywhere in Jedi and Force Warrior battles...LOL

Thanks for the chuckles....

off to work..

poof*

OK guys, for all of you attending roundup.....Keep Felicia in mind...I am going to collect a "care" package to send to her at roundup, so if you have things that will mail easily that would go well in her beautiful resurrected garden, bring it with you and I will ship it out after roundup.

Highmtn, I have some seeds from these poppies if you're interested.

Julie...
Geezzzzzz.......thanks! I'm kind of embarassed...lol But...THANKS REALLY REALLY THANKS!

Lynn,
OMGOSH..how funny. There is a nice stand of those growing near my dd's house and I have been thinking about TRYING to gut up to fill a midnight requisition (nabbing a couple seed heads as they dry) I would love some seeds from that one you posted..lol I am a lousy "seed snatcher". My Catholic mama instilled major GUILT well in me...LOL

Ok.. back to work... but.. thanks for the smiles! This is really really fun! I hope I get to return the favors some day. But not DUE TO FIRE...just due to fun and sharing.

Hugs...and poof*

I have a ton of seeds that I was going to pkg up for the RU. I will set some aside for you. What do you like?
I have also collected some Guardian Early Blue Delphinium seeds from my garden (very pretty) and some Columbine seeds. I did a stupid thing though, I put both labels in the same container, and I didn't see the second label until after I had dumped in a pocketful of Columbine seeds. Whoops, now I don't know which was which, or if they are combined. So, if that doesn't matter, I have a bunch of those! I also just collected some Popsickle Lupine seeds. And I did "snatch" some Salvia seeds from a couple of Salvias at Fred Meyer. I felt really bad, but I couldn't help myself. My hand just happened to brush along the stems, and I found myself with a handful of seed pods. Bad me.

What a great way to display Crocosmia. Beautiful!

Dmail me your address and I'll put some in the mail. If anyone else wants some poppy seeds I have about 7 packets left.

What color are the poppy seeds. I would love some. Have planted poppies from 'tubers' but they didn't take.

Gwendalou, I have a glorious tiny orange poppy that is a perennial, and will be bringing plenty of seeds to roundup. Will put your name on some if you are interested!

Gwendalou - poppies don't necessarily come true from seed, particularly the somniferums. But you are guaranteed a gorgeous array of solids, picotees, bi-colours.....

Hello all,
I'm about to conk out here, but I had to share this before I forgot.

I saw this on TV this morning, and thought just maybe some of you who grow cuttings to share/trade/sell would really benefit from the idea.

It's making self watering planters from liter bottles...looks like a great idea if you ask me!

Pop bottle planters - (self watering)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenscaper/2519983658/

OOps...but here's what happens if you OVER WATER...LOL
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2009/05/pop-bottle-planter-over-watered-plant.html

This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 10:14 PM

My poppy seeds are a coral/red, and the poppies are a peony shape.

Morning All,

Foggy and feeling like fall again. I saw a "V" of Canadian geese fly over yesterday...and that's the SIGN. My dog is shedding hair balls the size of Chihuahua's, and we are having lots of morning fog...and now the geese. Get out your Halloween decorations...lol

I have to put a PS on my fire story. So strange that I have just recently shared the whole fire story and this POPS up just yesterday.

I was at work and this super nice guy came in to pick up some papers. His wife works for our foundation and when I request funding it comes from her. He was helping us out with a paper shuffle. Anyhow...he walked in and I noticed he had on a logo T-shirt that had the NAME AND DISTRICT of the fire dept that attended my house fire. So.. we struck up a conversation and I asked if he had attended my house fire some years back. He said.."Well... I've only been here about 5 years. Where was it?" I told him and he was BRAND NEW with the fire district then and my fire was one of the very first fires he had been on! He remembered the fire well! Then...he said "My wife and I JUST drove by there 2 weeks ago to go to a yard sale! As we came down the street I told her about the house that burned down in this area and as we got there we just LOVED THE FENCE! I was amazed to see the difference!!! You have done a ton of work and IT LOOKS GREAT!...lol

Now...what a small world...and how FUNNY that he had drove past here just 2 weeks ago...he had NOT been down this street since the night of the fire...and then...he walks into my office and we touch bases. It was just very cool. I got to thank him in person for saving what goodies they could for me! He said their crew often tries to do a "sweep" of a house while the hoses are getting connected. Often times things are too far gone to salvage anything or in massive flames so they can't safely go in without hoses going...but he said anytime they see a window to save something...they do...and they did...for me.

I will be forever grateful to that fire crew! They have earned the nickname locally as the "A Team" and now I know why.

Great "end to the story" for sure!

Nice!