My Stonehenge Garden - continued...

Hi, remember me?? I wanted to come by and update you on the status of my new Victorian Garden, but I am carrying it over to a new thread so those on dial-up won't have to load the old thread all the time. For those who need a link to the beginning of this saga here is my thread started in April of 2005 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/500395/

John has worked all winter and the garden is really started to come together. I will load about 14 pictures or so for you here to show you where we are at.

First..the main entrance as it looks today showing the red gates John installed at the far end and the brick walkway

This is me in the only section officially released to me for planting this year..

This is the week before I planted it out...

note the stone "table" on the right...I will tell you about that next.

This is John setting the massive wellstone on the stone legs he built here. This is a very old wellstone we will use as a water feature. John will eventually install a small pump under the opening to create a small fountain.

another view of this section before I planted it out... you can see where the new garden sits in relation to the house and barn in the background..

This is a rusty antique gate John spent many hours to restore for the garden. A before and after view..

I just love this gate..it leads directly into that new section with the urn shown above..

This is another set of gates - these he made from scratch on an old fashioned blacksmith forge. These gates lead into my potting shed area...

Here's my baby .. :-) trimming up some border rocks for one of the beds.

YAAAAAAAY!!!! You're back!!!!!!!!!!

a few from the other side showing the completed brick walk that leads across the main part of the garden. The stone bench in the forefront is an old stone stormdrain that John converted to a bench...

Construction on my potting shed began just last week. We hired a construction friend to come out and frame it in. Two guys did this post and beam frame in 1 day.

LOL..bivbiv .. I never really left..just been lurking and around less often over the winter as I was so busy..

The next day they came back and put on the roof...they won't be back for a few weeks till they have the windows built and then they will install them and put the slate on the roof. John will do the brickwork for the rest of the walls.

This how my 1st section looked after I planted it. I filled the side beds with Canna lillies and Dahlias. Then the front borders with annual marigolds and assylum. I'll show you a close up of the urn..

a close up of the urn...there is a sad little baby banana tree in the middle hiding cause its been so cold and rainy!

what a wonderful treat. Thank you. Your John is an amazing craftsman.

Lastly..this is the next section I will get to plant. These beds I will rototill in some compost and plant up this coming weekend (God willing and it don't rain all weekend!)...

More updates in a month or so...

You are a very lucky girl, but then you probably know that! I LOVE your house and gardens! Where do I find a "John" of my own? LOL!

It's going to be absolutely gorgeous Diane when you get it all planted, it already is.
Your DH does beautiful work. You must be so proud.

Hey, Diane, long time no see, huh...I've been busy too and I'm so happy that I wandered in tonight to see the continuation of your thread. My word, you and John must have been working 24/7+++!!! Wow, it is beautiful and unique, so massive, yet fits so well, John is truly an artist. Thank you so much for the updates and I look forward to more photos as you move along with your one of a kind masterpiece...

Diane, glad that you are posting update pictures. I found your original thread when I first found DG and loved reading it. It is mind spelling how beautiful the house, and now garden are. You are a very lucky woman.

Keep the pictures coming.

Casey

Diane
Thank you for posting all the "on the way" photos, it is truly an amazing journey! I enjoy seeing the dream grow.
Ann

Ditto to all of the praise above. Beautiful.....

I don't envy you living in the frozen north...but I love your home, your gardens, and your hubby who is very talented and obviously dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and dreams.

Mine does all the housework.... :)

Sitting here with Eye's & Mouth wide open!
I'm astonished at all the work that has been done. Anxious to see your plantings and the garden in progress now.
Beautifully done John and Diane

I've been looking forward to seeing your 'dream' progress.
Marvelous that John worked all winter..you've got lots of work done and now you can plant! ..I'll bet you are so excited!

Love all the gates..and that is one sturdy Potting shed..can't wait till it is finished.

Your urn is magnificent..

What a tribute to your love.

I am in awe.

Cheers, to you both.
Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

wonderful, it's all coming together beautifully!

It is magnificent, I have been to Stone Henge in England ,as I am sure you must have also.
I will have to check out just where you are, my son Lives in Farmington, and also has a house in Vermont, I need to see if you are close, then next time I am there I can come and take a look.



Doris

Very Nice

Hi Diane, glad to see you back posting again.
Thank you so much for continuing the journey with us. I am in awe of all the creativeness of this project and of your DH's hard work. I can't wait to see it with all of your plants in bloom.

Let us know how many magazines to look for when it's finished. lol

Donna

Hi Diane,

You and John have a gorgeous place. It just gets better and better each time you post pictures. It is obvious that John works very hard at this project, but also, it shows that you don't just sit and watch. Your plantings are going to be awesome as the weather warms and they grow to full size. Can't wait for future updates.

Thanks for allowing us into your beautiful homesite. You both should be extremely proud of your accomplishments.

WOW!!! Just wow..... I want to visit and see it in person. It's so beautiful and artistic. John is a true master.

TOOOOOOO awesome!! Great job.

Kyle

Absolutely gorgeous! I remember seeing the first pics, but this is just amazing!

Once again I am just amazed by your accomplishments, and I just have to ask. Did you always plan to have this magnificant fairy tale garden, or....did things just get way out of hand? If they did get out of hand, I can't imagine doing it any other way. It really helps to keep my own little projects in perspective.

Thank you so much for sharing your gardens and your story with us.

Marie

Your progress just leaves me speechless, so.......WOW!!!!!
Pati

What a incredible masterpiece and the journey through your Stonehenge Garden is a work of art!

I see why you have been gone a bit, simply fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks all - for the nice comments. It's exhausting, I'll tell you but really rewardng. We have both put in quite a weekend and we've got a day to go...ugh.

We worked 11 straight hours yesterday and 12 today. My feet hurt so bad I can barely walk. We had to help each other into the house and shower so we could collapse on the bed. I planted and lugged, and rototilled and potted and lugged some more. John layed brick, cut more stone, helped me rototill, painted urns and all in 90 degree heat. But I managed to take down my portable greenhouse and store it away and 90 percent of my plants are potted up or planted out...whew...can't wait for Tuesday so I can go back to work and rest..

Diane

I bet Diane. Just amazing. No doubt you will get a great magazine layout! I feel like I should email your pics to Sunset but they do the West. They would go nuts over your house and garden. I am going to email your pics to my DH. He had me feeling sorry for him for the work he does on my garden, he does not know what real work is. Just so impressive. I can't wait to see it all planted.

Do you have any special trees in mind for it? What a hard job picking out what is going to grace those garden walls.

I notice in your last pic the gate is red. Is that the double gate to your potting shed that was black?

Hi, Kell -

Special trees and shrubs will be planted all along the south and west sides of the garden, OUTSIDE of the stone walls. We plan plant things like, Jananese Maples, special varieties of lilac bushes, Harry Lauder Walking stick shrub, Mimosa tree, etc.

The red gate you see in the last pick is the same gate showing at the South end of the garden in the first picture. The black gate that opens from the North side into the potting shed is the one I posted at 9:39pm on the 26th.

I finished those two beds shown in the last picture yesterday. John dug out 1ft of compacted top soil and we replaced it with 15 wheelbarrows of compost and then rototilled it in with Azomite, Kelp Meal, bone meal and blood meal. Then I planted it out with mostly annuals for this year. The one on the left got Castor Bean plants, Giant Purple Amaranth, Love lies bleeding, purple fountain grass and a front border of yellow Garzania. The one on the right - I sunk my 15 gallon pot of Endless Summer hydrangea (so it will be easy to move if I change my mind on its location), a Barberry, 3 columbine, Celocia and tonight I will move 2 of my large brug trees out there and sink the pots in the back against the wall. Should all look great in a month or so when everything fills out.

Diane