My garden is in it's second year, pretty much, and I joined this board last year looking for help how to get it started. (My original thread about my shade bed is: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/601727/)I wanted to post some pics of the progress, so here goes....hopefully there is not a picture limit here, because I have a bunch.
Here is how my yard looked two years ago...I decided to try landscaping after my dog kept diving head first into those weeds after his frisbee
Here it is last Spring when I joined
Here it is the other day. I took all the hostas that were in this bed last year and moved them to other places...replaced them with ones I think work a little better.
I think I said in my older thread that I disliked impatiens....well I found some I do like. The ones in the front are "summer ice" or something like that. I actually picked them for the foliage.
Hosta is Halcyon, which I picked up late last summer. Gypsy Dancer Heuchera, Purple Peticoats, and Dolce Peach Melba Heuchera as well. Lady in Red ferns in the back which are growing like crazy.
The right side....Remember Me hosta replaced Diama Remembered up front. Love Pat replaced Big Daddy. The lime hosta is Sun Power, which was an "oops"...bought that thinking it was smaller, so that will need a replacement next year.
Bridal Veil Astilbe, hopefully going to bloom soon before the bugs finish it off!
Albo Striata (sp?) Hakone grass...my second favorite part of my garden
Touch of Class hosta above that, new, and the one behind it is Diana Remembered, which is huge already this year. My kind of hosta!
One of my Spring projects, making this sculpture of my dog to sit on top of the rock
Then I have a small bed to the right of the main one
With Regal Splendor and Parhelion Hostas...The RS is the oldest plant I have- it's in the third summer. Parhelion is growing rapidly as well and I will need to push that back a few feet next Spring.
Regal Splendor again
Ok, then I have that whole bed on the left side of the yard that I started last summer...
this was "then"
And here is now
Here are some details from that bed
Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden. I love seeing before and after photos. You have done a wonderful job.
Sherri
Here is where I moved Big Daddy...it's doing great and seems to be growing fast.
And last is my very favorite part of my garden. The hypertufa millstone fountain I made, and the mini hostas in the background.
Thanks, Sherri! Before and Afters are always interesting to see, I know.
The sculpture is beautiful and so is the millstone fountain. You are incredibly talented. And both of the planting areas are masterful. You have a great eye.
I'm so glad that you posted these. It's wonderful to see how things can go from zero to 60 in such a short time.
For a minute, I thought your dog met up with Medusa :-o !
doss, thank you so much for the kind words...you are such a supportive, helpful person!
It's easy when I see beautiful work like that. You must be thrilled. Want to come help me with my garden? LOL I'm doing my last shade garden under some redwood trees. It's very dense shade so I'm trying a lot of different things and only hope that they combine as well as yours have. You seem to feel free to move things around though so that always reminds me things aren't too permanent.
Well, I tend to only move hostas...ferns and atilbe only when I really need to, and even that makes me nervous and has been hit or miss. I've moved some heuchera, which didn't seem to mind. I am trying to slowly get things into their permanent locations.
You don't need any help- I've seen pics of your beautiful gardens! I do feel happy with what I've accomplished so far. I can actually sit outside with my dogs and enjoy the surroundings, which was my goal. I have one more area to work on, but that involves ripping out some really scraggly yews and a lilac tree that has no business being in full shade. I have to ease my husband into that one, since he likes to keep things even after they are dead! But I got him to admit that he liked the fountain, so that was a big step. ;)
That fountain is a work of art. What did you use to mold it in? What is the dog sculpture made of? It's really lovely too.
Does your DH know how lucky he is? Reminds me of my old dishwasher that kept on running but didn't get the dishes clean. Held onto that one way too long. LOL
I am in awe! It all looks so beautiful. I, too am in my second year but my space is nowhere NEAR anything like that. I have a serious time deficit going - I just can;t get large blocks of time in there. Someday.....
Noreaster.... beautiful gardens!! I'm sure all the work is very rewarding.
Thanks, tcs and peg...peg, I am fortunate that I am self employed, which means that I could take time off (slacking off, *cough, cough*) in the Spring to get garden work done . You are so right about needing large chunks of time to truly get anything done...especially if you're doing it on your own like I am.
doss, I think my husband would appreciate it if I spent a little more time taking care of the interior of the house! Oh well!
As for the fountain, I didn't really have a form I used...I just formed a rough disc shaped and then carved out the shape and pinwheel design. I wrote out some detailed instructions in the recent mini hosta thread in the hosta forum if you want them.
I made the statue by first making a clay model, which I then made a silicone mold for and then cast it in concrete, basically. I tried adding some finely crushed perlite to make it look more like stone and less like conrete, but I'm not really satisfied with the way it cured in the end...to light and cool toned when he's dry. I just ordered some concrete stain to try on him...I would like him to be darker and earthier...mossy would be nice too, eventually. He just looks too fresh right now. If it doesn't work I may just try making a new cast with some dye in with the water. Here is a better pic...
It's beeeeutiful! You did a wonderful job Noreaster! Wow. Great to get to see before and after pics. Love the water feature too! I'd have me a chair nearby so I could just sit and admire it all the time. I'd be proud to have mine look like that.
I'd love to see the thread on how you did it too.
The fountain makes a really nice soft sound, and it's not too far from the deck, so I can enjoy it from my chair there. Here is the other thread with the instructions:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/733821/
I just looked! Great instructions. I already have the portland cement. 2 bags of it in the wheel barrow because my sister and I are going to make some containers. They are heavy buggers for sure. Now we can get busy. I wondered how you go the huge circle shape. Thank you for the link. I need a water feature in the new yard so this is just what I have been looking for. I might have to borrow your idea. :) I drooled over them on the internet too.... bucks plus shipping. Out of my price range for sure.
Did you drill thru the pedestal too so the water could get up thru the stone?
Also would it make it easier to support if the pedestal has "legs" ?ANd did you leave a space enough for the hose to come out from under it so it doesn't get squashed or is that why it had to be supported?
I'm already building it in my mind...:)
I made it so that the pedestal was hollow....the bottom sits on the rims of some submerged pots, and the pump is in the middle of the reservoir, between the pots. The rigid plastic tubing then comes straight up to the nozzle in the center of the stone. I could have made a pedestal that was completely submerged and rested on the bottom of the reservoir I guess, and placed the pump outside of it with flexibe tubing feeding back up thru the middle...I think there are lots of ways to do it- this just worked for me.
I see. I guess it also depends on what I use for a resevoir and how deep it is to how tall the pedestal is. Thank you for the answers. Boy I am ansy now!
Are all the round planters hypertufa too? Those would be perfect for a space in my garden I haven't started yet. As I was searching for some sort of focal point for this new space I came across this fountain that looks like it could be made from hypertufa. Do you have room for another? http://www.alsto.com/product.asp?product=8891000zz&dept%5Fid=9011&subdept%5Fid=9016
Yes, all the round planters are hypertufa. I think it fits really well into our rocky yard, so I made a bunch more this spring. The only problem is that I like to use mostly perennials in them because there aren't a lot of shade annuals that appeal to me. That means I have to find places for them in the ground at the end of the summer. That fountain you posted is interesting, too....I think it may be resin made to look like stone. Pretty real looking, too. Here are three more pots which might not be in the other pics. The hydrangea is still in the nursery liner...I am planning on burying it in the pot, and then moving it back into the large hypertufa container for one more season next year. That's the plan, anyway. I can't really plant anything in the ground up there because it is solid ledge.
Noreaster, what gorgeous shade gardens. You and I must think alike. I have so many of the exact same plants. Must be in our cold northern blood!!!
Thanks, muddbear. When we got this house I didn't know anything about gardening, nor was I really interested in learning. Now, I'm hooked, and I am particularly happy that we have a shady yard because I really do like shade plants in general. I'd be very unhappy if we moved to house with mostly sun after this, I think.
Noreaster, you may not have known anything about gardens, but you must have known something about plants. And you must be self-employed as an artist. Your first try at gardens is amazing! The placement of the hypertufa pots is definitely artistry, as is the placement of all the plants. And kudos too for your vision and willingness to take a few risks. This is a garden that will do you well over the years.
Revclaus, thank you very much for your comments. Yes, I am a self employed artist, and I do find a lot of parallels with my work and gardening...I'm actually sort of surprised that I didn't take an interest in it sooner. Working with shapes, color, contrast, and composition is all sort of the same whether you're talking about a garden or a painting, as it turns out. But there IS that pesky science aspect of gardening, too, that I still get hung up on and intimidated by. My brain just can't absorb a lot of that stuff. Hopefully in time, some of it will soak in and I'll be a better gardener for it.
The astilbe is just starting to bloom now and I really like the height it provides over there. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed at how short a blooming period it has, though. Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts. ;)
