Posted these pictures on the Tropical forum and was told to also post here so here goes.
Jeri's Oasis
Here is a close up view.
This is a view from the tea house
jeri, that is one beautiful job of landscaping. WOW. Show us some more pics. John
This is a close up of waterfall.
Here in Baton Rouge I do the pond tour each year to raise money for Breast Cancer. I usually have around 500 people during the 2 days of the tour and since I've done this for 9 years I like to have something new each year. This is my treat for 2006.
9' waterfall into 6' pond that cascades into 25' pond
Victoria Waterlily bud
First flower
Same waterlily, but the second night it blooms pink
Close up of the pink blossum.
Some of my fish.
John
Have lots more but you get the jest with these. Hope you enjoy!!!
Jeri
jeri, all I can say is WOW and double WOW. John
Ohhhhhhhhhhh.... i t ' s so welcoming and serene ... only in my dreams, just wonderful. What a retreat and how nice of you to share for such a worthy cause. Thank you for sharing with us.
Over the past 9 years we have raised around $90,000.00 to fight breast cancer. My mother died with this disease and for me it is a personal battle. Even men can have breast cancer. Please be checked every year. Early detection is our greatest defense.
Jeri, don't know how I missed your posts. I had to go back and read all the conversations on the Tropical Forum too. You are obviously a very artistic and amazing person. I, personally, appreciate what you are doing to help in the fight of breast cancer. I am a recent survivor. Just finished my treatment almost a year ago. Sorry to hear about all of your losses. I am a new member to DG also. Seems like this year I have lost myself in all my gardening and have found it extremely theraputic for me. When I am not at work, I am outside digging. Your gardens look more like a vacation resort instead of someone's home. I absolutely enjoyed every picture you showed. I would also love to know when you open your garden up for touring.
Bonnie
Bonnie,
I'm new to DG also, I just joined in August.
No I'm not artistic at all. I just love gardening and I'm the type that has to have everything I see. But with a yard my size I need at least 5 of everything. We put in the beds and then each month I visited the nurseries for things that were in bloom that month and then came home and arranged it in the beds. I think I have blooms every month but December.
I'm sorry to hear that you were sick just the C word scares me. I've run to the Doctor thinking I found a lump twice, but Thank God it wasn't. That's why I work so hard for my pond tour. It's the only way I can make a difference in this battle. The Pond Tour is the 1st weekend in June in our area. I would love it if any of yall could make it.
Jeri
It's wonderful and beautiful! I've never seen anything like it. I love everything you've done!
You have raised an amazing amount of money. Wow!
Thank you billporter, but the amount of money raised is not a drop in the bucket for what the research really needs. The hospital has a free clinic for mamograms and check ups for woman that have high deductibles with their insurance co. Early detection is the best medicine out there. I'm on again for the tour this year. I hope I can come up with something special.
Ah, but it's more than they would have had.
I know you will find a nice attraction.
Thanks for your vote of confidence. This is my 9th or 10th year and it's getting harder because so many people have seen it already. My mother died with breast cancer, my SIL and a neice so it is a personal battle. I feel like I've done something if I can cause 1 person to go for a checkup.
Since accidentally finding out I have high blood pressure, I'm going for check-ups I wouldn't have gone for. I think tv is getting the message across to the younger generation too.
I enjoy seeing statues. Maybe you can tuck one or two new ones in somewhere. A bench would be nice too. Sometimes just a startling color, or flower like a hibiscus is eyecatching. Of course you've already done an exellent job with ideas.
I get tired of the same things year after year. I'd like something special though. Most of the other ponds were done by a local nursery here in town so they are professional. Of course the man that owns the nursery swears I have more plants than he has at the nursery. LOL
LOL. Now that's an accomplishment! (More plants.)
I enjoyed your diary story of the limestone rocks. I think your pond is fabulous! I'm sure the professionals ponds look great, but I think you've done well.
It's hard to think of attractions that are completely different. It will be interesting to see what you come up with.
We had the pond & waterfall installed. I love my DH but we would have probably divorsed if we had continued doing it ourselves. NYS Landscape did all the stonework.
You have to appreciate that we are about 9' above sea level. So to have a 9' waterfall is amazing to me.
The waterfall is fantastic!! And that is amazing! I can only imagine how it sounds. Have you stood under it?
No, I have unwelcomed guest (SNAKES) and I barely go on the hill at all.
Oohhh! What kind of snakes? (As if it matters. :))
It doesn't matter to me either. It was a 4' water snake. On 2 different occassions he had the nerve to attack my fish with me sitting out there feeding them. I got my leaf net & beat him senseless. I know he saw stars and I thought for a while he had left but he reappeared and my DH was home and he shot him. During the spring I have to be careful. I wear knee-hi boots and until I found out they don't have ears I was stomping and beating sticks on the rocks and hollering.
My dh asked me what I was doing and he told me they don't have ears. To tell you the truth I had never paid that much attention. LOL
Well, snakes sort of take the fun out of it. I like to watch snakes, but wouldn't be very happy to see one eat my fish while I was there. 4' is sort of intimidating if you have to be in the water with them. Laughing over the beating!
Laught all you want to. I got my fish back. 1 had a boo boo for a couple weeks where I wacked it in my haste to get away from the snake. The fish survived and the snake is gone so other than the cold right now all is well. LOL
Laughing harder over the boo boo. Hopefully the fish didn't notice as it was about to be devoured!
LOL
Was it a koi?
Yes about a $50.00 one. I have koi, goldfish and 1 albino catfish.
Here is a picture of some of my babies.
They are beautiful! MY SIL got to keep some koi for someone and they had all red babies. They are striking! She then got to keep all the fish! Your goldfish are so yellow! I love to just sit and watch them swim.
I could spend hrs just sitting and watching them. Course if I did that the weeds would take over.
Fish are theraputic, so take advantage of that! I've learned to afford mulch! Now we're going to afford topping off!
I put out 200 bags of crushed pine needle a year. 100 in the spring and 100 in the fall every year. You'd think I had the best soil after doing that for 10 years but I'm sad to say that it really hasn't helped. I put out 6 bags of Amaze a year and I still can't keep up with the weeds around July & August.
What are you gonna top off with?
I was thinking of adding an inch of compost on top of the mulch that's there in the spring and then top with more mulch.