Belle's Haven "GARDEN" 2013

Hi everyone.

Oh my, Belle.....your grounds and gardens are just gorgeous! You have evidently put a lot of love and attention into bringing it to fruition. So lush with your tropicals and the island is a touch of class. I like your tower gardens.....they're all the rage now adding more bang for the buck growing vertically.....and the creative approach you took to use upside Christmas tree stands. Very clever idea. You are a brave lady playing golf on such a hot humid day. It wasn't too bad weeding here yesterday morning, but the furthest I ventured outside today was basically to fetch mail. Looking forward to continuing with you on your tour, and seeing your friend's Memorial Garden as well. Another labor of love.

Well thank you very much Fruit!!!
I just came in and wait till you hear what I did yesterday.--Monday.
The club is normally closed on Mondays except for tournaments which DH participated.
This is my first time to ever buying from craig list but i braved myself because I kind of know the area. The lady seemed very nice on the phone.

She had all sorts of plants succulents, agaves, and tons of perinnials. I spent over 90$. the best part is she was getting rid of all her yuccas which are dwarf, solid green and no thorn. I took it all and I felt like winning the lottery!!! there must be hundreds of tubers because it filled up my big wheelbarrow.
She was also getting rid of a lot of green wondering jew I do not like waste as far as plants.
Yes it was hot today but we played 18 holes one girl walked and was able to keep up with us. I am mandated to play because DH pays the golf bills. LOL!!!

as far as weeding which does not happen often I use a reciprocating saw and walla it saves me a lot of time.I like to do gardening early in the morning before golf.I try to take a nap in the afternoon. My bedtime is early.

Yeah I like my x-mas tree planters and i must have 8 of them placed all over the yard.

Stay tuned for more pictures.

Belle

I just edited the last pictures.

Belle

I need your opinion, should I start a new thread for the memorial garden or mix the picture here.
Here is one picture

I have more , the dedication of this garden is on August 14 at 7:00 PM. We expect 100 people.Let me know what you think.

Belle

This message was edited Jul 18, 2013 4:55 AM

Nice plant score through Craig's List and am so glad you had a favorable experience. We have met several new-to-us neighbors using their service. This is just my opinion, but since this is Belle's Haven, I think opening a new thread for your friend's garden would be appropriate. It's really up to you. We'll follow along either way.

Seeing as you asked, I'd think a new thread as well.

Going to be a beautiful spot. I'll go along with the other ladies, new thread.

I will start a new thread on Garden design? Biginners landscaping?

Back to my garden:
#1--Entrance to my work area. this is where I pot and divide plants.
# 2--same area
#3--My work area is situated at the end of the lot and is hidden by potted hosta in 3-tier stands
4--Same area. There is a big fig tree so it is very shady for the hostas.
# 5 more potted hostas . Don't forget that I have over 600 cultivars.

Until next time. It is very hot here. Heat index was over 100 today.l played with 3 good golfers.

Belle

I just found this picture

Everything is so green and wonderful, I love your plumeria trees. I have several but they are still small. How about Garden Design?

i will start the thread on Garden design. I never thought that this will take a lot of my time. I am proof reading invitation now.


Back to my garden:
I am rearranging potted succulents.. I am declatering the space but it is very hot here.

No golf today!! Yeah!!!

Belle

This message was edited Jul 19, 2013 6:16 PM

The memory garden thread is on Garden design forum.

Belle

Back to my garden:
You will be seeing a lot of hosta which are place in multiple tiers stands to accommodate all my collections. I had them alphabetical but some were big leaf that that it crowded the little ones.
We have almost .5 acre and the back of the has a pergola that shade the plants but now the trees are overgrown that I have too much shade. The pergola is very nice though.

#1 #2 #3 all potted hosta way at the back of the lot. They are in 5 tier stands and it gets watered with a tall sprinkler.This sprnikler is carried by LOWES and I buy them in Alabama. Lowes here does not carry this particular sprinkler

#4 #5

Again potted hosta at the side of the storage shed under a pergola. I have mostly fire Island on this side.

Belle


This message was edited Jul 22, 2013 3:38 AM

This message was edited Jul 22, 2013 3:43 AM

This message was edited Jul 22, 2013 3:44 AM

Back to the garden:
#1--the center bed was created by DH and had potted plumeria trees.

#2-- golden yellow bamboo which are potted because can be very invasive.

This bed also serves as holding area for new potted plants. I am constantly dividing and propagating most especially succulents alocasia and colocasia. The hosta are seldom divided .
#3 same bed

# 4 landscaping around koi pond.

How and why the pond was constructed.
Many many years ago, out of the blue on a Friday after noon after work my left foot got extremely painful that i ended up in ER. I thought I had stress fracture but no fracture showed in x-ray.

To make story short I was placed on medical leave after seeing so many specialist. I ended up on a care of a Rheumatologist but negative for rheumatoid arthritis. I have a very rare inflammatory arthritis on 3rd and 4th toe om left foot.

'I was on enbrel which I was injecting myself and also some iv medication that was given at the office.
3 months after the diagnosis DH asked what he can do to make my life easier so I asked for a pond which i got .LOA was over a year.!!

I am still on medication a little chemo once a week which are tablets.
The Japanese maple was given by our 2 children while I was sick. It is so pretty.

# 5 more pond landscaping. I also have potted plumerias.

I hope I did not bore anyone.

Belle

It had rained for 3 days here so the garden is lush.
Back to the garden
#1-There is a tri level deck to the pond and plants in this pictures are plumeria trees.
# 2 plumeria trees
# 3- one corner on the deck with jasmine singles as well as doubles. Also an Oriental lime tree that comes in during winter.
#4-- A variegated dwarf agave that is very prolific.

# 5-This is supposed to be pond #2 and it had been on DH plan for the last 2 years. This will be his first time to build one. The koi pond was built by a pond designer.There is a juniper at the center and will be bonsaid SP.
I had been rearranging the succulents and so they are around this unfinished pond. I will take pictures soon.

The memory garden at the club is taking a lot of my time. If you want to read about it is is posted at the garden design.

#2 potted Chinese wisteria, it must be 10 years old and has smaller flowers that the regular American wisteria
#3Part of the alocasia / Colocasia collection. I think I have over 75 varieties. They all get unpotted and get stored in the garage.
# 4 more alocasia colocasia
#5 new alocasia / colocasia from Florida Hill Nursery.I still have to tag them because they did not do a good job labelling them. They just scribbled on the scotch tape.
#1 This is a 10 year old Abynissian Maurelli Banana. Would you believe this had not had a pup? It must be a male if there is a gender on this particular variety. Does anyone know?

Belle



This message was edited Jul 28, 2013 7:49 PM

Can't see the banana in #5. Do you treat that timber decking with anything to preserve it?

Tropic,
It is in picture # 1

The deck is over 20 + years and DH power washes it every spring. It is treated .wood.

Belle

I had to tell the ladies in my chat room about your wonderful gardens and the memory garden you are putting together. I do hope they drop in and see all your great pictures.

Samigal,
That's good!!!

Belle

It's been days since I posted. I don't know if I had mentioned that I am landscaping a memory garden for a friends and the thread is on Garden design
Back to my garden.
#1--These are my home made bonsai and some of them are over 20 years old They consist of maples, junipers, azaleas, crepe myrtle, rhododendrons etc
#2--This is a succulent and it is from Africa. I will get the real name.
#3--Assorted jasmines
#4--This groupings are assorted sedum and a christmas tree holder that has ee, sedum and other succulents
#5--This grouping has bonsais

This message was edited Aug 9, 2013 3:49 PM

This succulent in picture # 2 is--- SOUTH AFRICA VARIEGATED PORTULACANA..I bought this in Florida.

As soon as the memorial garden dedication is over I will post more pictures.

Belle

This message was edited Aug 10, 2013 4:49 AM

The memory garden dedication is over!!! YAY!!!
Back to my garden
#1--around the pond sedums and California sunset sedums
# 2 pond showing the tall thriving lotus. I had 6 flowers this year. It is over 10 yeras olsd and had not had time to divide it
# 3 # 4 just potted sedum near the swing which i use4 a lot. there are tons of mosquitoes but I light mosquito coil so I can enjoy peace and quiet time.

# 5 my koi pond

Hi again Belle, I have still been following your wonderful thread about your outstanding garden, wish I had half your energy, yes I know you said you have some help BUT credit where credit is due, your still a starr.
My question for now is, I have been looking at the white plastic framework you have set up over the pond and some plants, Can you give info where you got it, is it made from Plumbing supplies / pipes or is it already made up as a pack you then build at home,
I am looking for something like this for my own area.

Carry on with all your updates and your gardening diary, and NO, your never boring just amazing.

Very Best Wishes.
WeeNel.

The cover for the pond are pvc's and this was done by DH. The original one was designed by our son but was destroyed during a storm few years ago. I had not seen a kit. If you look at all my posts on water gardens you will see the picture. I like it better than this one.

Sometimes I am amazed how I do everything i do !!! It must be the 3 cups of strong coffee in A.M.LOL!!!
I cut down on my golf, I only play 3 times a week the last 2 weeks. It was too much with the high humidity. DH on the other hand plays more and walks most of the time. I often wonder where he gets his energy.He is so fit considering he is diabetic, hypertensive and with high cholesterol

I see you posting a lot and very knowledgeable in a lot of topics!!

Belle

Ween nel,
I just bump 2 post with my original pond cover. It is on water gardens thread---about herons

Belle

No Problem Belle, Im already putting pencil to paper to try show DH what I'm looking for by way of a frame that wont rot, wont fall apart and has a look of belonging in my veg garden as the deer are already bringing there fawns down to show them where I grow my winter greens and other juicy things LOL.
Every time I buy some new plants, especially Roses, DH always asks " do the deer like those ones" boy men can be annoying at time eh !!!! but hey, I will put up with him a while longer ha, ha, ha. he's my Rock.

Thanks for that help Belle, you take good care and very Best Wishes.
WeeNel.

Can you post your garden. Is it it fenced?

Did you check out the thread?

Belle

Belle I'm always getting asked to post some pic's of our garden but believe me, I value my computer toooooo much, I am absolutely useless when it comes to doing things on the computer,
A few years ago, Ecrane had a go at telling me how to do it , but to no avail, ask me about most plants, flowers, tree's and shrubs and I can probably help you out because here in UK, we have a vast diversity of garden plants that are all suited to our climate, IF we look at the history of plants we find that there was British plantsmen going to every continent in the world bringing samples, seeds and actual live plants back here, probably as far back as America was being discovered too, so you can take from that we are able to grow lots of plant types that most people cant imagine growing here BUT, for a lot of more tender plants, we would have to adapt the ground, light, soil ect to manage some plants here and maybe offer shelter too.

When I was a child helping my Late father outside in our large FLAT garden, (my own garden aint flat but huge) IF I wanted to know IF we could grow such and such, he always asked that we go indoors and find out where the plants ORIGIN came from, and that would be the start of where we could grow it or NOT, Like most desert plants are not able to survive outside here, even in summer BUT IF we grow them in large shallow trugs/ boxes, we can get away with growing some so long as we take them in doors for winter. Azalea's, Rhodo's are good here as their climate and conditions like some woodland shade and dampish acidic soil can if conditions are met,be no problem, so we just learned early, Like where do Daffodils, or Tulips came from and we are able to give the conditions they need, and from that we learned the care they needed,
To be honest Belle, when I was outside in Garden with my Dad, I never realised I was actually learning or he was teaching me anything, But when I got married and started our own garden then I realised how smart my Dad really was,

Most new gardeners look at a plant and think, I'll have that in my yard and when it dies on them, they cant understand it would never ever grow in their conditions, or State for that matter but when it's explained to them where the plants came from, they fully understand why the plant suffered,

Along story for a short cut Belle, but I will try get DH to help me post some pictures when we can get time and sort through some suitable stuff to show you.

I've not yet looked at the other thread Belle due to time change between here and your side of the pond, but will do later today, thanks for your help and keep up the good work, soon be time here to put some tender plants to bed for next year, BUMMER !!!!!

Take good care. Best Regards.
WeeNel.

WeeNel,
I know what you mean about learning the computers. I find that playing with them is the only way. i did go to a biginners computer lessons years ago and with the new disc they are not bad.

I have an ebay store and i am on my computer a lot. i do have a lap top downstairs but most of my pictures and documents are on my desk top PC.

Back to my garden.
#1----taken all the way from the end of the yard, It is showing the hard top canopy that we built last summer. DH wanted a shaded area to grill and to put small table and chairs to relax and entertain few friends. We had an estimate but it was too much money so he found this at costco online. I love it!! He ordered some nets for mosquitoes but it does not look good. Also he added gutter but leaking in 2 places. i can not complain about it because it is not priority. Golf is always # 1 on his agenda, LOL!!!
CORRECTION!!
The canopy is not showing on this pix, it is the new pergola that6 he built this year.

# 2 my rose garden
#3- japanese maple tree growing slowly and nicely a gift from our 2 children when they were very young.
# 4 another picture take from the end of the yard.
# 5 new succulents, just arranged around the 2nd pond and this had been on his plan for 3 years. I need to relax like my DH does!! He has lazy days so he just read, watch TV and work on his own i-pad LOL!!!

Will post more pictures soon.

Belle

This message was edited Aug 18, 2013 8:13 AM

If you notice my pots are all different, I pick a lot at the thrift shop as well as moving sales. this does not bother me.

I am scheduled to pick up bread at a grocery store for our church food pantry.

Belle

succulents everywhere!!!!

Bee very busy with championship games on 2 ladies league. DH agreed to play with me yesterday because all my golf buddies for Tuesday had appointment. DH gave me a lot of pointers.
Been doing a lot of propagating on the California sedum which you will see later
new succulents and had some ID'd . Will post names later.

I will come back for descripitons

#1--I rearranged the collection and here are my purples such as black ruffles, maui magic, sangria, coffee cups, and tea cups.
#2--a baby macrorrhizza and behind it are diamond head and mojito
#3- diamond heads and mojitos
#4--diamond head alocasia
#5-the mother macrorrhiza

I will be landscaping our church front, right now we are just weeding!!!

I could not stomach looking at the weeds and so this is my project. I stay very busy and looking for volunteers.

Belle

Does anyone ever do multi- tasking?

Well this AM, I was doing 4 things at the same time
1.Washing clothes, 2- making bread crumbs,3- first attempt to make 3 bread sticks , 4-- breakfast.

It was not stressful at all, I tend to get stressed out!!. I cut down on my golf to catch up with home responsibilities.

Back to my garden

#1 -- just a collection of sedums and they do very well outside during winter.
#2-- alocasia colocasias
#3-- more alocasia colocasia I think these are diamond head as mojitos
# 4-5 babies of robudora from Lari- Ann.

These are new this year. They are sinks that I bought at a thrift shop. The black one was spray painted and it was brand new so it was pricey. The first one is used which is not bad. this particular thrift shop get a lot of construction stuff and weekends are reduced.

I also get a lot of bowling balls from them.

Belle

This message was edited Aug 31, 2013 6:43 PM

I had not posted for days !!!

Golf is taking a lot of my time.

Will post soon.

Belle