Before and after Garden pics.....

this is an overall look at the raised bed...

this is that same bed as of yesterday!!!! i had to move AGAIN all the perinnials out of it to plant in a new bed , better secured , because i found gopher holes where flowers once stood.. i put regular chicken wire in the raised bed to keep the gophers out (not knowing any better) and just now as of last week they got in after those flowers!!!! so they all had to be moved AGAIN!!!!!

oh, cici - all that work and it looked so pretty - drat and darn !!

and here are the flowers that are moved to the new smaller bed, which just so happen to be at the end of the rose garden!!! so really this pic is of two afters.. the rose garden and the journey of those flowers...(:... whew, that was a long story!!! (:
chrissy

bloomswithaview, i know.. its endless... if i could take all that extra work and put it into new gardens, i would have at least two new gardens at least!!!! i think i iwll plant daylilies and dahlias in the big bed ... that way if they eat them they will die!!! lol.. at least with one plant gone i may have one gopher dead!!!! (: thats almost worth it at this point... lol.. ok this pic is of the overall view of the rose garden with the new bed.. i may take the cobblestone up to that indentation in the bed.. then out both exits to the left and right to lead to other gardens.. the garden behind this one is the original garden i took these all out of... also the new bed will be painted or dry-brushed with white.... so please dont look at the miss-matched wood...(:

I can't find the files that have all my my "before" pics in them, but they are on this page of my website if you want to see them (Spring 2004). There will be more added to the summer 2004 page, when summer gets here. I've been working, year after year, trying to get my gardens to have color from Spring through Fall - rearranging, adding plants, taking out plants, etc.....

http://karriesplace2kplus.tripod.com/spring_2004.htm

cici, Blooms here, can I suggest grey instead of white? White always yells in photos and your flowers are too pretty to have competition
Actually the mismatched wood adds a charm, And I love the jog in the raised bed, great idea or am I just dense... it never occurred. Now i can't wait to try it.

This message was edited Jun 1, 2004 5:05 PM

Boy Cici...I can imagine how upset you must be..I have the same problem with rabbits eating my plants. It just makes you want to cry sometimes.

Your gardens are coming along beautifully with all your hard work. I really like your path..
I enjoy looking at your photos.

karrie, u gardens are wonderful!!! i love ur before and after pics.... i always love to see how things change, and in such a short time!

blooms, i was gonna do it white becasue that the only paint i have here...lol.. plus if i drybrush it it wont be solid white , it will be like a worn off white.. like an old piece of painted wood...and i am sorry but i dont know what u mean by a 'jog' , i think i am the one who is dense...lol..

thanx starz.. i love my path.. my husband said, oh no, i can just see it now.. ur gonna have paths everywhere... not that that is bad , its his way of teasing me... i am also putting cobblestone in the hammock garden area.. here is a pic of 4 or 5 forms poured... its definetly the cheapest way for me to go since i have large areas to cover... 60lb bag of concrete is like 1.50 ... anyway here is the pic... oh by the way , i had problems with rabbits, i planted garlic cloves all thru my gardens to keep them out.. i guess they dont like the smell... there was one small garden i planted around a weeping willow and i forgot to plant the garlic , the very next day the bunnies chewed all the flowers off..and left me stems... they even chewed the dahlias and clematis down so i went out there and planted the garlic cloves and since then no chewed flowers...(: plus the garlic cloves put off neat flowers... (:
chrissy

cici did you plant those trees at the beginning? I need a fast growing shade tree. Any suggestions? We Get the hot afternoon sun from the west and no shade.
You have really worked hard and it has paid off.
Happy gardening.
Chris

Your rose garden with the cobblestone path is just beautiful. I would get an arbor if I had the right place to put it. I have planted several vining plants along my wood fence, but don't want too many. I am into butterfly and hummingbird gardening.

hi purple, yes we planted every tree on this property, there was nothing but farming weeds here... there are several fast growing shade tree u can get.. there is fruitless mulberry, that grows fast, and weeping willows grow fast also...those trees will lose their leaves in the fall though.. there is the california pepper tree also known (i think) as peruvian (sp?) pepper tree... thats an evergreen.. and it has a weeping habbit.. its the tree in the pic with my hubbies truck...

thank u all for appritiating all the work that went into my gardens... i just love this new cobblestone mold i got.. it just adds such detail to the gardens, and it makes it so nice to walk on too...keeps me from walking in the mud after i water , and its a great guide to the gardens.. it will tie them together once they all connect. purple, i have so many butterlfys now and humming birds.. i dont even use a hummingbird feeder anymore... they eat off my glads, and that one tree that seeded itself, they get so close to me i can almost touch them... they prob think i am a plant in the garden because i am always out there... lol.. i love vines also.. i have so many of them now i dont know where to put them all.. i have mini climbing english roses on either side of that rose arbor..and a gemini clematis on one side of it too.. they grow together beautifully.. i have 11 clematis vines now... some are planted under trees, and others in gardens beside the tiki torches.. i will prob move about half of them once the house is built.. but i had to get them in the ground when i got them.. i also have chinese wisteria which is still in its pot, and 4 pink jasmine vines , several passion vines allthough those are small... and several other vines i cant think of right now.. (:

cici, ....and I thought I had a lot of plants. You win. And it all sounds like fun... oh, work yes, but we wouldn't do it if it wasn't rewarding and yes, downright fun.

The jog means the raised bed is not one long straight line or not to my eyes.
it goes__/--__ , well not exactly but best I can do. right? My next one will too.

Why do we garden with such intensity? It is the only thing besides reading a good book that can totally obliterate HOURS of a day. I go out to 'check things' with my second cup of coffee and next thing - it's 2:00 and my stomach's really mad at me. lol

This message was edited Jun 2, 2004 11:44 AM

oops, coupla more things,
where'd you get the concrete form with the multiple stone look, how wide is the group as a piece? How much it weigh? Thinking of making them where they'll be laid. Do you?

And way back on May 4 you referred to DH as running the mower over your lambrum path, what's lambrum.

and obviously I love your paths, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. keep the pics coming. and the ideas, Blooms

Christy, I have thought of a weeping willow, but don't know if it would give any shade. So you just plant the garlic cloves and they grow? I don't have a problem with animals, but I will plant them just for the flowers.
Chris

hiya blooms... well below i have posted a pic of the new raised bed before i put dirt in it and the flowies.. and ur right.. its not just a straight running bed.. but a "jog" as u called it..(: right? after i started to cut the pieces of wood i thought , why the heck did i have to go make something so complicated!!!!! (: but i am glad i did.. not only are there different sizes to make the shape, but they arent butted right up at the ends.. they kinda go at an outward angle...

i would have to say there is just something about gardening that does that to ya (us being so intense with it) .. i spend pretty much every day ALL day out there...well except the past few days. its been sooooo HOT... its almost impossible to work out there... if i were planting it wouldnt matter how hot it was... but doing things like fixing dripper lines, and lining the new bed with ouchy wire is so much mor frustrating in this heat.. if there would be a good breeze it wouldnt be as bad either.. i did go fix a dripper line today , and picked up 6 more bags of concrete for the cobblestone around the hammock garden... which i will get to that subject here in a minute..., plus i feel soooo much more relaxed and relieved that those flowers are moved.. i had to wait a few days after seeing the gopher hole in my raised bed and it was eating me up , i was not a very nice person for those few days because i was worried about my flowers! lol ok let me post this pic so i can post another pic of the concrete form...

This message was edited Jun 2, 2004 2:20 PM

ok blooms, now for the concrete form.. the form is made of plastic so its real light weight, i bought it at lowes for $14.95 (the form is re-usable) and the concrete for a 60lb bag is $1.50 at ace... two 60lb bags will make enough for 3 poured forms.. i would buy the 90 lb bags but they are just toooo heavy for me to be lifting.. the 60 lb bags are heavy enough.. i use an empty (duh!) 5 gallon paint bucket to mix the concrete.. the first day i hand mixed it with a gardening shovel and it wore my butt OUT!!!... i thought i was gonna die.. that day i think i poured 3 or 4 forms...my hubby felt bad for me and suggested i use one of his big black tubs for mixing, this way i wouldnt have to go so deep with the gardening shovel into the bucket to hand mix it... and after i lifted the concrete bag out of the car i could just plop it in the big tub and cut the bag open (remove the bage of course) add the water and then mix it by hand.. this would be much simpler for me to do with-out wearing myself out.. but then the next day he gave me one of his drills that has a paddle mixer (for mixing grout or concrete in a bucket) on it.. this makes my life sooooo much easier.. i just put the water in , pour the needed cement and put the drill in , turn it on , and its like a big kitchen mixer... lol.. i make the concrete the consistancy of oatmeal (makes it better to pour out of the bucket into the form) if the bucket ends up full to almost the top i shovel it out into the forms... then once its down to about halfway in the bucket i am able to pick it up and pour the rest into each "pocket" of the form.. u let it set for a minute or two (if u make the concrete too runny by accident , which i have done, let it set up longer.. maybe 5 minutes) pull the form off, and whaaallaaaa, u have the cobblestones.. i usually set the form in the next place i want the cobblestone begin mixing concrete if need be and pour the next one.. as that one is setting up in the form , i go back to the previously poured one and round and smooth the edges of the cobblestone to make it look more like cobblestone... even if that means taking out chunks of the rocks in the concrete that are at the surface that may hurt a bare-footed person walking on it.. then smooth the indentation and it makes it look even more like stone by having smooth pits in it.,. u know what i mean? now u can buy color to add to the concrete to make it different colors.. but i think it would be just as much money to buy the coloring as it would to buy the concrete.. so i took our dirt out here and (after i smoothed and shapped the "stones" ) rubbed it lightly into the top of the wet concrete and on the sides... u will se that in the pic below.. the lighter brown cobblestones are completely dry, the darker brown ones are wet and just done, then after all that i let it set up till the next day , then i bring the broom out bromm the extra loose dirt off and i get my colored cobblestones!!! (: it is quite easy and addicting by the way!!!! and trust me u wont be imitating me, they have these forms out there to have anyone do them.. (: and i am flattered that u like my ideas.. its fun to share with someone who likes it enough to want to do it too..(: and wanda do u not have before and after pics urself???? i would love to see.. i know i have seen ur posts before and ur pics.. werent u just posting lately ur irises??? anyway here are a few pics of the form while i was laying them..(:

i forgot to mention the form size is 2ft by 2ft ... also u dont HAVE to fill each 'stone' to the top, that way it gives u differnt looks of the stone.. and the pattern u lay one way , pour it ... then turn the pattern so that the "v's" match up and it will brake up the repeditive look... also if u put it on fairly flat ground and make sure u cant see daylight thru the sections inside the form u will be able to move each stone (once it is set up enough) for like a slight curve... here is a pic of the form in its package.. i saved it off of the ace hardware site.. they sell them too but are more expensive, plus u have shipping and waiting for it to come in.. its good if u dont have a lowes around though... home depot in my area doesnt sell them anymore...

ok last pic on the cobblestone.. i just realized that the one pic i sent didnt show the different colors ...... soooo here is the path with the dry, wet and uncolored cobblestone and the last concrete colored (grey) cobblestone set is unfinished, meaning i didnt smooth the edges yet, i think i had just pulled the form off of it...... .. oh by the way excluding the price of the form, that rose garden path cost me just under $20.00 in concrete...

blooms , THIS is a lambrum walk (path) .. of course this isnt mine.. not yet..lol.. but i did plant 10 lambrums( aka: goldenchain tree) and i now have 9... but i will get another come spring when they have them again at home depot.. this fal i will buy those alluinim (sp?) or whatever their called...(: lol

purple, yes weeping willow would give shade just because it is a good sized tree... they do take ALOT of water compaired to most trees .. i deep root water mine so i wont have any "blow-overs" when we have really strong winds.. but like i said they do loose their leaves.. i love weeping willow and pepper trees.. but then again i have a thing for weeping trees.. what makes u think they wont give u shade?.. i stand under my small weeping willow tree for the shade..(: and mine is still young and not as big as it should be by now.. only because i let a bunch of branches grow from around the bottom of the trunk so we could have places to sit on it.. but had to cut them all back for the health of the tree... so now it should grow like gang-busters... my moms weeping willow shades half of her front yard... as far as the garlic, yep i just buy big garlics from the grocery store and break off the cloves and put them a half inch under the soil, and in days u see growth... i grew one last year and the flower was neat looking... plus the seeds are pretty big on the flowers.. for the size of the flower anyway... i didnt take pics last year.. from what i remember they were pink... and look more like the cone part of a coneflower.. if that make any sence.. lol.. they prob. have pics of the flowers on the plant database.. i'll have to look.. (: and ur sooooo lucky not to have problems with critters...(: i'm jealous!!!!
chrissy

Whew..!!! I'm tired just reading about all the work you have done..great job CiCi.
I am going to go plant garlic today........those rabbits are all over the place now.

Love watching the transformation and truly sympathize with the gopher problem. The "cute" little rabbit family has been wreaking havoc in my garden, and I've yet to find a successful solution. Every day something is gone. What is worse is that they flaunt themselves!

Same here...rabbits are terrible
new seedlings bitten right off..what's worse is that they don't seem to eat the stems they bite off..I find them laying right there on the ground.

Cici, and it takes a while to fill in. lol
Is it still a lambrum if you use vines and structures? It would have to be really long if I use trees. Plus it'd be faster.
Imitation - best form of flattery.
You sure got the work cut out for yourselves. Admiration abounds here.

Cici
thanks for the encouragement on the weeping willow. I just never thought those little narrow leaves would make a shade tree. Is it fast growing? I am on my way to do grocery shopping and I will get garlic cloves. I am having a problem with moles. WIll that deter them?
thanks,
Chris

bayou, and starz, i know how u feel about the rabbits.. i used to have to put wire cages around my flowies , but since i planted the garlic , they stay away.. then i got cats, and they have helped keep the population down ... i just hate these gophers.. i dream about them at night.. that they have eatten my best favorite flowers... sometimes i feel sooo defeted, i almost give up.. then i get mad, and go on the hunt with traps , or a shovel..lol..

Blooms, no a Lambrum is a tree.. the Lambrum tree is also known as a golden chain tree.. so they call it a lambrum walk or path.. i guess if u used wisteria, it would be a wisteria walk or path...(: or a clematis, it would be a clematis walk or path.. the lambrums grow pretty quick and dont take much water once established, but they are highly poisonous, which i guess is good for my gopher problem.. i giggle when i see gopher holes right next to them, becasue i know they are gonna die.. (: the trees dont get very big.. 15 or 20 ft too. and these bare rooted ones i planted even bloomed this year! (: i am sure i will have other paths, i just reaaaallly wanted this one... i have the space for it so i figured, well if i start now , someday it will be big enough and i will be able to enjoy it from my front pourch (once the house is done)

purple, yeah the weeping willow puts of great shade.. the leaves may be small but they are a-plenty... the pepper tree has even smaller leaves and it puts off great shade too.. the willow and pepper tree tend to want to be dense.. i am always cutting back the weeping willow to make it more "airy" and it still puts off shade even for its imature size.. plus u can propogate weeping willows VERY easy , all u do is cut a branch off stick it in water an in 6 to 10 days it has roots... the two weeping willows in the garden above that i mention the dogs planting.. well the found two small twigs and were running thru the yard.. dropped them where u see them now and becasue that area always got lots of water, they rooted themselves... lol.. well guys i have more pics.. and gonna post them now...(:

cici, I've just re-read the posts and see I've forgotten to thank you for the extended lesson in paver making and want you to know my cement pouring days are coming up this fall.
It'll be to hot to contemplate doing it in the near summer.

oh thats ok blooms.. and ur most welcome.. (: speedking of the pavers.. i have been busy working on my walk past my hammock.. it always gets so dang muddy there i end up slippen and sliding all over the place.. now in this pic, dont mind the big "cracks" between the slabs... i intent to make "stones" for inbetween there.. there is geman thyme there inbetween some of those cracks but i still need to put smaller "stones" in there so no one breaks their neck.. , i have also gone behond what u see in this pic, but i wont post that till i connect it to the "slab" of cobblestone i have started on the other end of the hammock garden...

This message was edited Jun 9, 2004 10:18 AM

Cici-That last pic is just beautiful. I love the way the path is lined with glads. Definately a work of love....

;~D

LimeyLisa Kay

Lovely..you sure are working hard..and getting great results.

thanx guys, yes on real hot days is when its hard..., but i just love it so much, it's more fun then actual work... lol.. i want to post some pics of that patch of green in bloom, as u guys know i planted all this stuff back in feb of this year.. and it seems to be at its peak of bloom.. or close to it.. there are still some dahlias and O. lilies.. and a some glads that still havent bloomed.. so here are just a few pics.. (: enjoy!

Wow, love your thread & pictures. Wish I was younger and could do all that work. More pictures.

cici - You've inspired me to finally cobble my pathway in my garden. I have always wanted to do the form, but other stuff always popped up! I have brick in the entrance under my arbor and I started throwing oyster shells on the path, but I really like your "stones" better. I think I'll be hitting Lowes this weekend!! THANKS!!

thanx lizh...(: i'll try to send more.. i ment to send a few yesterday but after the first one yesterday i had some things i had to take care of right away.. (:

gardengirl, thats GREAT ur gonna do the cobblestone... are u gonna leave it with the sharper flat look or are u gonna smooth the edges of each stone? i have taken areas that i had smoothed where the stones in the concrete had all gathered, and big chunks would come off the corners or the top and even the sides.. it kinda freaked out at first.. i thought i ruined it.. but a little smoothing over the cratered areas gave it such a natural look , i made sure i did that with alot of the stones..(:

i have to go out now and wash my FILTHY car, then go get it serviced , so once i come back i will post more pics.. running a little late now... (: see ya...(:

Cici, I think I will try and smooth the edges down. I think it looks more natural and unique. Thanks again for the inspiration!

glad i could inspire u gardengirl..(: u'll have to post pics once u start..infact make sure u take before and after pics..(: i love to see the changes..(:

ok now for a few before and after pics... this is of our shed/barn... its really not big enough to be called a barn but i have tried to make it look like one..(: this first pic is of the unfinished barn... hubby did everything to it but the trim.. we had the wood for it but he never got around to it... it sat like this for two years!!!!!

now here is an after..... it all started with that antique window there on the front, i went to go hang it and thought, that looks like [deleted]! so i trimmed it out!!!! lol...now it just looks so adorible!!!!

i had trimmed this barn out in dec. 2003.. so naturally after i was dont i had to put up Christmas lights...(:

and here is the little red barn taken last month, i made those picket fence beds out of contractors stakes, and wood we had laying around here...(: i have a jasmine , a couple of passion flowers, oriental and tiger lilies planted in them....