2006The Year in ReviewWhat Garden Projects Did You Do?

Well, another year has come and gone. Did you make a new flower bed, add landscaping, put in a fence or arbor or make other improvements in your yard or garden? Lets see them--and tell us what projects you're planning for 2007.

2006 was a busy year for me but my biggest project was my old-fashioned split-rail fence. I cut the trees on my property, split them by hand and installed the fence around my backyard. I'm taking advantage of the mild weather and I'm hoping to do the rest of my yard by spring.

early_bloomer

Here are the "before" and "after" pics of one of many beds that I planted in June and July of 06. I have "miles and miles to go before I sleep" but I'm happy doing it! The "after" will have to go on the next posting.

And the "afters"....

Another....I'm proud of my Pride of Barbados!

I can't find a pic of the entire bed, so I'm now reorganizing all my pics on my puter....
Will post one later....sorry

Oooooo - nice colors Connie. And I just LOVE that split rail fence. Good job.

My project for '06 was to get our super ugly chain link fence covered with greenery. Two sides are thevetia (yellow oleander) (65 plants) and one long side is filling in with Lady Banks roses (35 of these). My DH is now an expert at hole digging! I finished out the year with another tree. I've planted a Shamel Ash (24" box) a small Chaste (5-gallon) and a fruitless olive (24" box). Still need one more tree in the backyard for shade, I'm thinking of a mesquite but a recent discussion elsewhere about ficus has me thinking about that too maybe.

Throughout 2007 we will begin planning out pathways, shrubs, the garden(s) and flowerbeds. The house is 30 years old but the former (original) owner did not landscape, and it's a third of an acre in the middle of town. Our lot is the middle one of a large cul-de-sac so the lot is huge compared to the rest of the subdivision. We love it!

Do not really have any good pics of the progress.

I looked at pics of beds I totally redid, but they look worse(for now) afterwards so I'll skip those.

I did take an old neglected bed out at my neighbor's house and put a new bed in. The ripping out of the 20 year old geranium's was a bit more than I expected, but I do have a new place to put plants.

I finally got the Horrible Holly Hedge taken out and a new bed laid. I've hated that hedge ever since I bought the house. It was too mature, over grown and a skeleton inside with a thin layer of leaves on the outside!

Since it gets only about 2 hours of direct sun and the rest of the time bright shade, I figured it would be perfect for butterfly gingers and brugmansia. I also plan to put some lattice up at the end to hide the garbage can and let my Chalice Vine grow on it.

X

I've been working on a rocky hillside along the driveway and running behind the garage
for a number of years. this year I tackled the corner up by the road. I don't have any good
before pictures of the exact area. Here's the area before any work was done at all.

Here's the area up by the road I tackled in Oct. I dug out all the brambles
and multiflora roses, built little retaining walls to make planting beds and
put in some mums I got on sale. There are bulbs planted in there jam packed -
it'll be spectacular in the spring. Also there's an exbury azalea at the top.

So this is a multi-year project. I dug out the area along the stone wall over a period of several
years - its very very rocky so I couldn't get the roots all out. In 2005 I finally filled it in with rich soil
and planted it with daylilies and bulbs. I added more this year. Here's a picture from this summer.

I'm clearing an area behind the (new) garage now to expose an old stone wall and will bring in
soil and plant ericacous shrubs back there. (Azalea, rhodies and mountain laurel).

This will take me a long time - there is no access even for a wheel barrel. Its all by hand.
Tam

Wow Tammy, that looks pretty impressive. I've hauled a lot of rocks from a nearby creek to use here and it's a tough job. Those terraces will look great when those spring bulbs start blooming. It looks like you must have really rocky land there.

X...........Looks good! I bet digging those old roots out was a job and a half.

connie.......Nice work. That stonework looks great. I wish I had some bigger slopes here in my yard to do something like that with.

bca........Nice looking bed. My sister has some of those geraniums and she has an awful time keeping them under control. They take over the whole bed. She digs them up and tries to pawn them off on me but I decline.

early_bloomer

Much like the split-rail fence project which started out as a small idea (I was just going to fence in the area around my fire pit) and got out of control, my gazebo project took on a life of its own as well. I bought it on clearance and thought I'd just set it up in the yard and put a picnic table under it. Nope! that would have been too easy. By the time I was done hauling rocks, pavers, mulch and soil I ended up with this.

early_bloomer

Oh my! Earlybloomer, can I come camp in your backyard? You were very busy this past year. I showed your fence to DH and he is curious how many trees it took and what kind of wood it is. It's gorgeous!

Tam, you took on a real backbreaking job! All that hard work is paying off. It sure is nice.

All the other projects are successes, too! We built our house on land cleared just for that purpose - so it was rough to say the least. Very rocky here. This is the front circle drive as it was in 2003. It stayed this way until this summer.

Debra

And after a load of topsoil, compost and 800 square yards of sod.....finally! A sodded front yard!

My resolution for 2007 is to decide on a permanent design for the courtyard off the dining room. It has lots of potential. We've been here 4 summers now and there has been something different in the bed every summer. It was even a vegetable garden two years ago!

It's a great place for bird, butterfly and hummingbird watching. This is what I'm considering....removing the fountain and planting a youpon holly tree in that corner. Putting some oakleaf hydrangeas behind the tree in the far corner. Filling the bed with some smaller hollies with berries for birds, azaleas for spring color, and some perennials for butterflys. I have wysteria growing on the fence railing above now. I would want a large bird bath or small fountain to the right of the tree (centered on the brick wall). What do you think? Any suggestions?

Debra

another perspective...

Debra - that is just a pretty corner! You do know how wisteria grows - very strong vines?
I'm awfully afraid of it myself so I have no personal experience with it. Have you considered
climbing hydragea for the walls? I would think that the fountain would be an important source
of water for the wildlife you want to bring to that corner so if you take it out, you'll want to
put some source of water back in there.

And to everyone who's commented on my stone work - to be clear, all those rocks were in the
soil. All I did was dig them out when I was digging out the roots and arrange them into walls.
I didn't have to lug them anywhere. What I did have to lug was soil! That hill is just about all
rock. and brambles & multiflora rose & crown vetch & whatevernastyweedyoucanthinkof... LOL

Tam

I've finished my gh. and trellis to hide it which opened up 80' of new bed i added another shade annual bed just in front on the right by the drive way as well as at the patio off to the left. i installed automated watering to the round bed as well as full drainage 07 I'm going to build a Hugh gateway arbor to fill the space along the edge of the drive way with trellis wings curving out into the yard for more seclusion zones for specific plantings, yes its a tall order but all that you see here is 2006 projects, the neighbors are stunned, my tax assessor is delighted...

This is another "before" of the front levels of my yard

And the after. I planted everything myself...DH doesn't like yard work!
But, that allows me to do what I want, so it's okay with me! :)

And one more "after" of an area that is wide so I ordered out a ton of stone and laid them! It was fun and good exercise!!

What DO y'all do in your spare time. I am so impressed. I love the rocks/stone work. I am also really taken with the split rail fencing. Everyone here should work for professional landscapers, the talent is here. This has not been a year for projects at my house. Looking forward to 2007... Nice work all!

I agree, that's nice rock work Connie. And I know how labor intensive that work is. I call 'em my Advil days!

Amazing transformation, Connie. Love the grasses. If I recall, you have the beautiful new kitchen. Was that a pre-2006 project?

bulbhound, you have a beautiful yard and beds. Good job on the trellis!

Fleur...

Yes, the kitchen was 2003 to 2005, and the outside was all last spring and summer. As I write a pool company is putting in a large hot tub and a reflection pool in my front yard (I have an "upside down house where the front faces the lake, and the "front door" is in the back, because the front is on the side of a hill), so this summer I'll need to landscape that area. The the new driveway will be done, and after landscaping around THAT, my DH says he's putting in a veggie garden on the only side of the house that will not be done....so it seems neverending!! Oh well, I LOVE gardening and "feel" my deceased grandmother's beloved spirit when I'm working outside, so it's very pleasurable to me. Does that sound weird? She taught me the basics, and allowed me to water her plants, which was a privilege!! :)

Connie, nope, not weird at all. I get my love of gardening from my grandparents. I grew up helping them in their vegetable gardens. My grandfather sang certain hymns while he gardened. To this day, I cannot sing those hymns without getting choked up. I tend to sing them when I garden, too. I would talk to my grandfather while working in my first "big" vegetable garden. If you sound weird, then I'm weird, too! LOL!
Debra

Fleurs....thanks for the vote of normalcy! :)

We gardeners have Prince Charles to thank for people thinking we're weird to begin with...but I have always kinda liked him for the simple fact that he's an avid gardener!!

Connie & Debra, I join you in getting choked up thinking about a beloved grandparent sharing his/her love of gardening with me. In my case it was my darling grandma who lived with us when I was growing up. I followed her around when I was very little, and even as a teen loved what she did. My mother, despite her Alzheimer's, often says how happy my grandma would be if she knew how passionate I am about gardening (personally, I think she does know as I do feel her presence often).

As far as projects? It was another year of not finishing a thing. Worked on old projects, which didn't get finished. Started new ones, which also didn't get finished.

Maybe this year? A new leaf (hehehe) perhaps?

That's a sweet story, Murmur. I definitely felt my grandfather's presence and approval the year I had my big garden. DH won't let me have a garden like that any more. I was a little, ok - a lot, OCD about it. Nary a weed would be allowed! Couldn't do it like that again if I tried. Neck and back won't take it. Do hope to eventually have a small veg garden here. Don't think I'll be quite as obsessive about the weeds.

Connie, your kitchen is dreamy. And that glass "front" looks out on a lake??? Oh my....I'm feeling faint......

I'm so rude!! I forgot to mention how impressed I was with everyone's projects - beautiful gardens, beautiful homes!!! Incredible energy and focus (would you share?).

Out back, I went from this:

To this (still in the works!):

And out front, having planted a few things:

To (again in development):

hey brigidlily! love the bed and the cross walks! i wish i had thought of that with mine...how big in diameter is your bed? mine is 18'

Brigidlily, great projects - your home is lovely and those gardens are just going to emphasize its beauty. Nice job.

Bulbhound, that's a pretty big bed!!! I didn't realize looking at your photo that it was that large - nice!!!

Thanks! If I've amended the soil enough (the builders just piled a ton of sand on top of a layer of clay and threw down some sod... grrrrrr) it should turn out well. The bed out back is 20' diameter and will be edged with roses and filled with herbs. That's the plan, anyway.

Edited to say the dates on my camera were all kinds of messed up. Please ignore.

This message was edited Jan 17, 2007 2:00 PM

I was pleased with my rehabilitated bed until I saw all of yours. WOW.
This was the first flower bed I planted after moving into my new house 20 years ago. It's the southeast corner by an overgrown lot. It soon became 'Death Valley' where plants either died or where overtaken by all the nasties from next door.
Last Spring the lot was cleaned up, subdivided and new houses were built.
A before and after pic.
Andy P

This shows the prepared bed after clearing out the stones, roots, glass you name it. The soil has been tilled twice, 2 yards of compost and a large bag of Peat moss worked in.
The lower pic shows the rocks I removed, even the contractor was surprised, lol. (He said I could toss them there, he has a 'rock rake'.)
Andy P