Hello everyone - remember last year I told you my husband was building me a victorian garden in our side lot? It will measure about 60ft X 50ft. It will be enclosed by stone walls and iron gates. And these stone posts! Today he and his friend who has a backhoe set all these posts that will border the garden. Doesn't it look like Stone Henge?? The garden will have a few tiered areas or "garden rooms". I will post another picture to show you the largest post he put in today..
Diane
Holy Cow. Those guys must be exhausted. That looks like a huge amount of work to me. Can't wait to see it completed and your flowers and stuff growing in there.
Here is another closer view of this beautiful 12' stone that was set today. We will hang some wrought iron plant hangers around it and perhaps a raised bed for other flowers.
yes, Shirley - he is sprawled out on the bed right now -- he says every bone in his body is aching! Here is a pic of him and his friend setting in that stone above...
Here is John standing between the tallest border posts that will have 10ft gates leading into the garden. By the way..John doesn't have a mustache..that's dirt! LOL
So where did you get all of this stone work? What will go between the posts? This is very interesting to me. I've never known anyone to do this type of fencing since way back.
These posts are all pink granite that was quarried in a local town (Stoney Creek, Branford). The quarry there is very, very old and little work is done there any more but John knows the guys that still work there and asked him to hand cut him around 20 8-12ft posts for the garden. I'll tell you Shirley the man of mine is surely reincarnated from another century...he has always loved old stone, does his own blacksmith work to make hardware he used in the house in barn - his forge is the really OLD kind with the hand bellows to blow air on the coals. He learned stone mason skills when he was in his early 20s and went to work for the State restoring Gillette's Castle ( a local landmark). He was hooked after that and began building his own house from old hand cut granite.
Diane
Look at this GIANT urn/birdbath that will go in the garden. It's HUGE.
Oh, forgot to tell you what will go between the posts...this iron gate..one of 3 that will lead into the garden from different sides...the gate is about 10 feet tall, but I only have this picture of the top scrolley part to show you. I'll try to take a picture of the whole thing tomorrow.
Awesome. Boy, I'd hate to have to clean that bird bath. Tell John that he is doing a remarkable job. I love it all.
this is going to be on cool garden. but i have to ask. is this a private garden oer public cause thats BIG
LOL, yeah ..I don't want to have to clean it either..we had an idea that we might put a small birdbath in the middle with a small fountain in the middle of that so the water would be moving and won't get stagnant and then plant flowers (probably trailing petunias or something) in the base part and let them trail out. Just one idea. I have a year to think about what I want to put in it. The garden won't be ready for planting for at least another year. I have to truck in topsoil - a foot of it - to cover the whole thing. OUch..that is gonna be expensive. I'm told I need about $2000 worth of dirt! yeesh..better keep my day job!
Diane
Wow. love the birdbath. The garden is going to be awesome, Diane.
Diane, this is a wonderful thread!! Thank you so much, I absolutely love everything you and John are constructing, it's amazing, those columns are huge and the birdbath/urn is beyond belief, WOW!!! Hopefully, it will not attract Raptors, them babies are meanies!!!!!
Jerry - it's private...our little hideaway in the woods. We have about five acres - all wooded. We are set back from the road about 150-200 ft so you can't see the house from the street. We like it that way :-)
This garden is for me - a place to grow flowers to my hearts content. The stone, iron gates and stone walls are my husbands love..and designing and building the garden is his chance to express his creativity and love of the art stone work.
Diane
all i can say is i"m jealous
John sent away to Mexico for that birdbath - it is cast aluminum I think. He had it trucked in to his workplace and took it home in the back of his pickup from there. I laughed out loud when I saw the size of it! His 87 year old dad who lives next door saw it and just shook his head.."I think you people have gone nuts" he said.
LOL
Diane,
This thread is so impressive. You are Blessed to have such a talented husband who obviously loves to make you happy.
Judy
Very impressive! Boy, does your hubby like to work. Can't wait to see the finished product. I meant to say on your other thread that I loved your story about how you got back together. That took alot of courage.
:) Donna
keep sending updates so we can all watch the transformation pleaseeeeeeeee
will do..John has a lot of great architecural features he wants to add..he is going to build a brick wall and put this fountain in front of it (we picked this one out at the Boston Flower show this Spring). It should look neat with vines climbing over the wall.
Gosh girl! This is just a pasttime?...VERY impressive...and your house (?) looks neat too...did DH do all the stone work? What a talented couple you are!
Carol
Hi, Carol - thank you for the compliment...yes, John built the house all by himself in the early 70s when he was in his early 20s. It's a long story..you can read about it here on a thread I started last August - warning - its a LOONG thread..
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/450580/
Diane
Buckle up folks,
Diane & John's 'Magic Carpet Fantasy Ride' #2 as just taken off !
Thank you Diane for sharing your life with us.*again*
You must be back off the road Diane. I used to ride all around Clinton when I lived there and never saw your house. It's beautiful so I would have have remembered it.
What a lucky lady you are to have a husband that's so talented. He's done a wonderful job and I can't wait to see pictures when this garden is finished.
Those are amazing pictures, Diane. That is going to be such a beautiful place to have a garden, and it is so unique-looking. And it is so neat that your husband has an interest in such wonderful things too. I can see that you two make a great couple. I can't wait to see pictures as your garden progresses. I bet it will be astonishingly beautiful when it is finished. We may have to alert a national gardening magazine to feature you and your garden when it is done.
It is so fascinating to watch it progress. I'm sure we will all be astounded as it takes shape. You are so lucky to have a place like you have with so many acres to plant on. I would give up my Zone 10 to have what you have. Thanks for sharing this with us. I love that fountain and that bird bath too!
Diane, Thank you for sharing you and your husbands passion of work in progress. Such a beautiful home and piece of land you have. I sure was flabbergasted when I saw your pictures and all the work going into your Stonehenge garden. What a large project!! I'm certain once you have the garden in place you will be the talk of Clinton.
When you mentioned Stonehenge I thought I would share a stonehenge that was replicated. Located in neighbor State of Washington along the Oregon Washington border. Thought you might find this interesting.
http://englishriverwebsite.com/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Regions/Places/stonehenge.html
Absolutely Remarkable!!!
Diane, wow! You're such a lucky lady in so many respects! To have a husband who's so talented in such a rare way, for him to clearly love you and really want to make you happy, for him to be willing to work so hard and spend so much time to create a fairytale garden for you (and he cleans up good too!!!), to have that gorgeous house, 5 acres to play with, .... WOW. Those stones are sooooo pretty. And that gate is so fun!.....I'd feel like a princess every time I opened it to go into my garden if I were you :-). I'd gladly clean that birdbath every week for the chance to have a house and garden like that :-) I may seem to be blathering on and on, but actually I feel quite speechless.....I can't even say how cool I think this all is. And I do hope you'll continue to post on the progress of all this. I for one will be here reading every single word and soaking in every single photo :-)
-Julie
What an inspiring thread... I'm smiling, bookmarking and looking forward to photos and posts during the next year.... Thank you for sharing your paradise with us. And if you ever need someone to housesit an take care of your kitty... :-)
Sandra
Thanks all...
GardenGuyKin- thanks for the interesting link. We just heard recently about another "Stonehedge" like structure built in Guilford, CT with large stones brought from Scandinavia with Fruit tree gardens circling it.
Also, a Harvard Professor personal friend of ours, reproduced a stone henge project in PA some years ago. If you like interesting stone sculpture - see Professor Will Reimann's website:
http://www.williamreimann.com/
WOW Sandra - I'd love to see some of those gorgeous castles out your way...I've heard Ireland is gorgeous!
Diane
Thanks so much for that link Diane. It's just amazing the work done in stone. Your husband has done so well with placement and selection of the posts. What a remarkable man he is with such talent. As you commented he must be reincarnated from another century... I bet his muscles and bones feel like they are a century old today!!!
Here are some air views of the area where the stonehendge is along with a museum. Thanks once again for sharing your Garden in progress with us.
http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/about.htm
Hi Diane - yes, it's beautiful. I moved here last year from Albany, NY because I loved the country so much - have visited here 6 times before moving. I'm on a 3 year assignment - two more years to go.
I'll see what photos I can find - ironically enough (you may laugh, while I groan) - I saw more of Ireland when I lived in the US than I do now - since I spend about 25-50% of the time traveling on the continent for work. I talk to taxi drivers more than my own family. Dublin is OK, but pales in "wow factor" compared to the rest of the country.
Just back on Wed from Prague, now that's an incredibly beautiful city - so historic. Still need to download the photos.
Here I was thirlled that I was able to get my husband to lay 10 yards of mulch. LOL
My heart skips a beat when I think of how beautiful that is going to be. Your husband is very talented man. PLEASE keep us updated with pictures. I'm so excited for you.
Diane...I had wondered when I hadn't seen you lately...Now I know why!
Ditto...what everyone else has said...All I could think as I read your thread is '....how that man loves you!' You are a very fortunate person for that and for all he does for you! What a blessing you have found...Best wishes on your project and on your marriage.
Margie
Diane, in this day and age, it makes your marriage even more special and an inspiration to all!!
Diane, your garden will be magnificient one day and I can't wait to see pictures of the progress. Your house and barn are truly unique and beautiful and I can only imagine what they look like in person. I can see your and your DH's heart and soul in everything that the two of you do and I am amazed by it all.
Keep us update with photos! I love the rock look. And I thought my husband was Fred Flinstone.... this is awsome. i can't wait to show my DH.
Mel
I want to VISIT THIS GARDEN when it if complete. WOW
Oh WOW! I'm relatively new to Dave's Garden and since I'm curious I happened to click on the photo. And then......I had to read all of the comments.....and then I had to go and check out the old thread because I was dying to see the rest of the photos and find the details of the love story. The two of you are in love with each other....with your beautiful property and interesting home......all is right with the world. Enjoy your life.....I know that I'm enjoying your life. Thanks so much for sharing with the rest of us. It is so good to be able to share the beautiful things of life.
