Introducing myself

I'm very pleased to have found this very nice group of gardeners, and hope to learn a lot. This has been a year of tremendous effort and learning, all of which began with my purchase of 10 tons of crushed rock at a charity auction.

This past summer my husband and I had our yard completely landscaped. Where once we had a flat, sloping lawn, we now have gravel paths, and rock-walled planting beds. In place of an ancient, sprawling Rhodie, we now have a 1500 gallon pond with waterfall and Koi. Instead of an ivy bed that swallowed up everything beneath our stand of cedars, we now have a sandstone patio with lights and seating. The deck we built 15 years ago (which was covered in green slime in April) has been thoroughly cleaned, and refinished, and now hosts a bevy of potted plants, including some tropical ones. Where big, ugly, ill-kempt trees stood (we took out seven total), there are flower beds, ferns, and groundcovers. All in all, I couldn't be happier with the yard we designed, except....

I have never gardened at all until now. I had lots of houseplants back in the 70s, but never cared much for yard work until now.I have a huge investment in plants (every square inch of dirt is bursting with life) and very little real knowledge as to how to keep them going. I tried to be smart in my planting...I built a database of plants and the conditions they need, and planted everything in best place I could find. So far, I've only lost a handful of plants, but there are literally hundreds of different types -- too many, I'm sure, but I hate bare ground, and the plants were all so lovely :>)

I'm now engaged in planting bulbs -- thousands of them, all different types, and all entered to the database -- so that I'll have something pretty in the early spring. I have loads of pictures, so will have to post them to the web soon, so that I can share them with you all. I'm hoping to meet more crazy people like myself with whom I can trade gardening info. I'm very enthusiastic, willing and eager to learn, but green as a gardener can be (and I don't mean my thumb!). I think participating in this forum will be a lot of fun!

Welcome shultman. Wow, sounds like you've been incredibly busy. Why don't you start a Garden Diary here? You can go back again and again to marvel at all you've accomplished. (I do.) Then share with us all.

Welcome to our little corner of the world shultman.

Sounds like you tried to do everything in one big sweep! Post a few pictures if you have them so we can all drool -- especially over the pond in my case.

Good luck with all of your new growing friends, and I'm sure you'll be able to find answers to a lot of your questions from someone here. Just ask away -- someone will chime in. :-)

Welcome shultman! It sounds like you took the project "head-on". Congratulations for carrying out your project. Makes me tired just thinking of how much work that is. Happy Gardening and ask away - always something to learn.

Shultman, pictures please? Sounds delightful and I am truly impressed! What are some of the varieties of plants? This is so intriguing!

Hm...post pictures. Well, I build websites for a living, but I've never posted a picture to a forum before. Let's start with the view out our front door.

Walking down the steps towards the driveway, then turn around and see this view.

Wonderful - I need to head to bed, but will look forward to seeing more in the morning!!!

Cross the driveway and turn the corner, and here's where the recycling bins, garbage cans, and a bunch of old rotted firewood lived. Oh, and lots of ugly weeds.

Walk down the path, through the gate, and see the place where blackberries and a decrepit old fence had been knocked down flat by the growth of the neighbor's tree.

Look to the left, and there's a nice flower bed (and a sort of improvised Torii gate with electrical parts of some sort hanging down -- compliments of the guy who pushed all the dirt and rocks around). This was all evergreen needles and tiny tufts of crab grass trying to survive.

Walk around the bed, and there's one of my many Buddhas. This one, I think, is Indian...at least that's what my neighbor (who IS Indian) told me :>)

Turn around, and there's our pond with waterfall, taking up the space recently (and forcibly) vacated by a very old, very scraggly Rhododendron, a dead Japanese maple, and some errant junipers. I like the pond better...

Walk up to the deck, and there's a nice view of my little cedar grove. When we started the project, this area was all ivy and blackberries, with a rusted out bench (never used by us, although we had intended to sit there sometime) in the middle. We replaced that mess with a nice chocolate sandstone patio, some chairs, a dry stream bed, another Buddha, and some pretty plants. Much better...

I mentioned the dry stream bed, but it didn't show in the last picture. Here it is.

Ah, I'm stunned. For someone who considers themselves to be non-gardener-type, I'd say you are a gardener. Good Job! Actually, Amazing job! Even the plants seem to be placed in the right spots. You've got "rooms", features and accents, different views, texture and colour combos that work and all complementing each other. Hope to learn stuff from you!

Our deck was so slippery and slimey from all the tree pollen and rain that we were afraid to walk on it. It was like walking on ice. Here's a panorama I prepared of it (made quite small so it will (hopefully) display here) for a party invitation earlier this year. I'm quite astonished as I look at these pictures how much the garden has filled in. These shots were taken in July, and it looks quite a bit different now...fuller, more lush.

On the opposite side of the deck (on which was standing an ugly storage shed), there's more path, and another section of our new fence.

Can't quite carry on the walking tour, as this picture is from the wrong angle. However, if you crossed the deck, turned left, went through the gate, and looked back, this is what you see...as opposed to a total weed patch. There's a nice urn fountain in under the eaves.

Keep going around to the front of the house, and here's where the grass grew up high among the azaleas...taller than the azaleas, generally

This used to be our lawn, which was full of sinkholes. The 3-tiered fountain that shows up from the porch is just beyond the bottom of the photo. Now the front yard is tiered, with stone walls, and gravel paths between all the beds. Not a bit of lawn anywhere!

And lastly -- a view of the house from the street, just to give a more holistic view of the garden. These photos were taken to show our daughter, who lives in SF now, what we had done to her childhood home. She was impressed...barely even recognized the place!

That's the tour...as I mentioned, it has filled in a lot. And now I'm trying to jam about 3000 or so bulbs into any patches of dirt I can find. I love it, though. I've never worked so hard in my life. We had the contractor moving earth and rock, and making the shapes in the property appear according to plan, but we planted every single plant ourselves! Not done yet, either.

See why I need garden people to talk to? :>) I've created something of a beautiful monster, and I really want to keep it nice...maybe even improve it over time.

Couldn't get back to this until tonight, but just wanted to tell you how gorgeous your gardens are!!! Truly impressive - and you must be both proud of yourself and very excited to watch things mature.

Good work!

Ahhh, Shultman....welcome to the addictio.....I mean.... welcome to the... HOBBY!! Yes, Hobby is what I meant to say! What wonders you have wrought with all of your lovely rock and paths and plants and ponds and koi, etc, etc. ! Very, very nice work! No wonder you want to keep it well and embellish it here and there. You are in excellent company on this website, as I see you have already found out. You are likely to be able to get whatever questions you have answered here, plus you'll probably get plants and seeds, etc. Don't think of us as 'pushers', such an ugly word for such beautiful plants, just think of us a kindly gardening friends!!! Yes! That's it! We are kindly gardening friends!

So which part of your new yard do you gravitate toward the most?

shultman, wow...your gardens are truly beautiful. The layout is very zen and botanical garden-like. So nice! Did you and your husband do all the landscaping and planning, or did you have help? It is oh-so-beautiful...and quite the project!

pixy, good question. From looking at the pics, I think I'd be gravitating to that Adirondack chair in the cedar area. LOL. :-)

My hubby thinks this site will do him in. I keep showing what others have done and we could do.
Your place is just wonderful!!
Take care,
Kathy

Indeed, Tiff, the cedar grove is awe inspiring. I would sit on one of the large rocks. Rock sitting is one of my favorite activities.

LOL pixy. We finally signed the lease for the store...there are two large rocks out front. I was eyeing those rocks yesterday, thinking they would be perfect sitting rocks. I bet you'll agree. Here's a pic of the storefront w/ rocks. (And I bet shultman may recognize this area if she lives anywhere near 348th in FedWay.)

This message was edited Oct 13, 2006 8:48 AM

It's going to be great! And those look like good "sitting" rocks to me :)

Congratulations on your new endeavor tiffanya and best wishes for success. These must be exciting times for you! Go get 'em gal!

Tiffanya, I'm behind the eight ball here - what is your new store all about? Should I guess plants, or do you have other interests as well!!! It's a very appealing store front.

Murmur, it's a specialty beer store. Kind of like all the little wine shops that are around, only it will be all beer. In the words of Homer Simpson, "mmmmm....beer!" Hehe. ;-)

We'll offer all kinds of imports, domestics, and microbrews...folks can pickup beer by the bottle, mix-n-match their own 6-packs, order pony kegs for use in their home bars, or get beer gear (t-shirts, hats, glassware, etc.). They can also come in just to try new beers; each week we'll have a special beer tasting event.

So far everything is moving at a nice pace. We have a lot of work ahead though...the store is literally a blank box inside (not even a bathroom yet!). The goal is to get it built-out and opened by mid-December. I think it's going to be a very busy two months! :-}

Oh yea, Katy, very exciting. And stressful. And nerve-wracking. And busy. (I'm still working the regular job in addition to working on store prep!) Thanks so much for the well wishes. I am just a bundle of emotions. My DH and I have been dreaming and talking about this concept for the past 5 years. It is so exciting that it is finally starting to come to fruition.

This message was edited Oct 14, 2006 7:23 AM

Sounds very, very exciting!!! I think having one's own business would be incredibly satisfying.

That's our hope...satisfaction. :-)

And it won't hurt a bit to hope for wealth!!!! I do wish you the very best of luck.

I've been really busy at work, and planting my bulbs (about 4500 of them) and did't get back to the forum for a couple of days, so I didn't realize there were responses. You are all very kind in your assessment. I put all these plant into the ground, but am now wondering what on earth I'm supposed to do for/with/to them for the winter. Just read in Ciscoe's article that I shouldn't cut down the lavender, just remove the heads. Now, I didn't know I should cut down any of my perennials, so clearly I have a lot to learn! Here's some questions that have been nagging at me a bit:

African Daisies -- the plants were labelled as perennials, and certainly have spread out in my rock garden. Are they really likely to come back in this zone? Should I cut them back? I'd like to plant some tulips or something in the bed, but the big bushy daisies are making it difficult.

Hostas -- anything I need to do for these for the winter?

Rex Begonias -- I planted several of these in the shady spot under the front porch skylight. Is this another item I should be digging up for winter storage (along with my Cannas -- 6' tall plants), or do they just die out at the end of the season?

That's just a short list. Growin already clued me in about the Musa Basjoo wrapping, and digging up my Cannas. I also have three large Persian Shield that he advised me to put into pots to take inside. Gonna need some pretty hefty pots! I have to get outside in a few minutes and continue stuffing the garden with bulbs (every variety imaginable, at least to me) for the remainder of the day. It's still fairly cold, so I'm stalling a bit :>)

Tiffanya -- the beer store sounds great! There are several possible sites I could think of in the 348th area -- the new Crossroads Mall, the shops going in around the Super Walmart, or even some of the places vacated in the shops near Costco. If you'll give some clues, I guarantee we'll be by to check out the wares! Will you be working the store yourself?

I'm also following this thread for the overwintering tips. I have been neglectful of digging up things. My african daisies have never came back...I generally buy new ones each year. My regular daisies have been coming back each year with vigor.

shultman, it is at Crossings Federal Way, just a few doors West of Sportsman's. I'll be there...either seen or unseen. I do freelance writing (technical, web, copy), IA/usability, and design by trade, so may be in the back office working on other projects while my DH (devoted husband) is helping customers in front. Be sure to stop in and say "hi" after we open. I sure do love your garden. I can't wait to see pictures of it in full spring bloom ...4500 bulbs, girl you've been BUSY!!

That's what I thought! The pink building was a bit of a giveaway. Sounds like we're in similar fields. I do web design/development (more design than development) for the Washington State Historical Society, as the Digital Projects Manager. We're undertaking a major info architecture project right now (a major redesign and consolidation of all our various websites, to create a Washington History portal site). It's nice -- I've never had people to help with building the websites before...just had to do it all myself. This time, we're shooting for user-centered design, with user scenarios, paper prototypes, usability sessions (once I study up), etc. Perhaps we can talk more about this some time! Gotta go plant bulbs now, but I'll be by as soon as you open the shop, asking for you.

Wow, Shultman!!! 4500 bulbs, AND the Washington State Historial Society's Digital Projects Manager? I hope you're younger than I - even the thought of ONE of those events wears me out!!!!

Tiffanya - good arrangement w/you in the back doing your own thing and your dh running the store!

How interesting, shultman. Your job sounds like fun -- a combination of creative and history. I bet you know all kinds of interesting facts about Washington State. We haven't yet been to the Wa State History Museum...I had been hoping to get there to see the Civil War Exhibit. (I think that was a traveling exhibit?)