my rock border

This is an image of the rock and cement border i made. i poured the wet cement into forms i made and then set the rock in the wet cement about 3 inches back to create a mow edge. The spare rocks are 'stacked' on the others until i needed them for the next project.

oops... meant to post more rock border, will try again.

The front of the house showing white vinyl woven in fence and young roses on arch, more of the rock border. There is a bird house on each of the posts, with petunias filling the metal wash basins.

A close up of the grape plant and metal basins with flowers, in the background is the front of my old house.

A shot of the shed and day lily bed, bordered with rock. I never got the East side of the flower bed done in rock before I sold the house and moved away. The rebar arch over the shed is not very visible, the wisteria is young in this pic. You can barely recognize the little metal sculpture in the left hand side in the air. She is welded to a raised post of the arch.

moving along the side of the shed, headed to the secret garden, thru the arch.

inside the secret garden, behind the white picket fence.

There is a large (about 35 feet x 6-8 feet) long garden island that I dug that I can not find pictures of. This is the home I sold in 2004, before going back to school. The beginning of the garden can be seen in front of the white picket fence.

This message was edited Jun 21, 2016 3:34 PM

I LOVE the rock and cement border! Did you take that angel bench with you when you had to move?

Oh, I hope so!

I like the side of the shed, headed to the secret garden, thru the arch. That photo is frameable!

Suzy

Very pretty garden psych, nice flow. How long did you garden there?

Pat - What a lovely garden! Loved the secret garden area and the angel bench! Your beds look so pretty! Love it all! That would be hard for me to put in all that work and then sell it. (Though I may have to do that myself someday.) I know your new place is going to look wonderful next year when you get all your beds finished and planted and then blooming! Be sure to post them here, too! I love your ideas! Gives me ideas! (Thanks!)

We lived there for a total of 7 years. It was a MESS when we got there. There were huge hunks of gray paint coming off the house and only a tiny little flower garden to one side in the back yard, and a rose garden in front. All the other flower beds I created.

I really had a reclaiming project for the Secret Garden, it was mess! I had a compost pile and stack of junk the former owners left. I could not find a lot of my pictures but to the right of the Secret Garden is the "pond" inside a 6 foot chain link dog run.

I loved the way the landscaping turned out and I managed to finish 95% of what I planned. It was difficult to sell the house, I really loved my gardens but ... divorcing and moving on was the best thing I could EVER have done for myself and I'm so glad I did.

Love your flower gardens...I can see all the work and love that went into creating them. The secret garden is inspiring and makes me want to create one. Wheels are turning.....Rose

The Secret Garden was small... only about 10 x 10 feet probably but you could not see all the wonders of it until you stepped into it. The Sweet Autumn Clematis on the right completely covered the chain link on the right side. I had some additional garden art in there and sweet short iris that were rebloomers among other plants.

Lucky new home buyer!

Wow, that is so nice! I love the rocks.. Where did you find them.. They are so perfectly round :) and you did take the angel bench right? ahh, just lovely :)

I can tell, your an well organized person.. because your garden looks it!

Susan

Nah... all the flower beds quickly became too much for the new owners and they are a MESS. Weeds taller than the plants. They probably get very few tulips returning since they would have to compete with all the grass and weeds that have been allowed to invade all the flower beds.

BUT once you sell a house, it's THEIRS!!! Her tastes and mine were not very similar, the neighbor boy that was friends with my youngest said I would die if I ever saw the INSIDE! All my calm peaceful green walls are replaced with RED or black and other bold colors.

OH ya I took the Angel bench, it was a special gift to me from my parents. When I lived in an apartment while going to school, I would have put it in my bedroom if I had to!

I collected the rocks from anywhere and everywhere. Mostly from places that were being used for dump sites for fill. I would take only the ones that were the size and shape I wanted. They are mostly "river rock" so they are gray tones. That went well with my blue/gray house. If I was driving along the undeveloped areas and I saw a rock I liked, into the car it went. At a stop sign with road construction?

Thanks for telling me about Sweet Autumn Clematis! I have two of them in containers and now they will be the start of my very own secret garden. I had never even thought of having one until seeing yours. Adding to my list of must haves....very cool angel bench, arbor, iris'.....etc...LOL! Do you have a new garden you are working on? I would love to see what you are doing...thanks again..Rose

Glad you took the angel bench. No way should that have been left behind for the dingleberry doofus to get. Besides which, your mom and dad bought it.

Oh my, "I collected the rocks from anywhere and everywhere. Mostly from places that were being used for dump sites for fill. I would take only the ones that were the size and shape I wanted"- the visual I am getting on this is pretty funny. Did you ever see that movie with Desi and Lucy Arnaz called the Long Trailer or something?
http://homeiswhereweparkourhouse.com/lltrailer.html

Yes, when I graduated, remarried and moved, (whew! It was a hectic 3 years!) we bought a little fixer-upper mobile home in a Senior Park. I have started the flower gardens and they are coming along. When we got here there was hole in the ground where there once had been a pond, some vinca in the ground and a overgrown snowball bush. There was 2 foot strip along the front of the mobile home that had some Evening Primrose at the feet of the 2 roses. A forsythia bush that I WHACKED over and over again under my kitchen window.

I've been hand digging out sod and putting in flower beds. I took all the white rock off a 2 foot strip along the cement walk, threw the rock in the bottom of the former pond so it wouldn't take so much dirt to fill it! I'll have to get some pics and post them. I still don't know how to download from the digital camera to the computer!

Ya, Lauren, THAT would me!!! I would forget to get some rocks out of the trunk and go put groceries in... OOPS!!! Usually it was just a "few rocks" along the way. When I got the bulk of them I used our old Suburban.

Fantastic flower beds, pw2!

I just love the angel bench, sooo cute!

I live in a different part of the country now (then where my rock edge was made). Here the rocks are kind of apricot colored, my husband says they are felespar. There is a landscaping contruction project going on just down the street from me here. I wish I knew who to ask about the rocks... they are the right size and ohhhhh so convenient! They have finished most of the site except this one area that has A LOT of rocks, I am certain the rocks will not be used in the current landscape plan. Wish I could get permission to get them!

Pw2.....go over there right now and talk to anyone on site. All they can do is say no but if they say yes think of all the fun you can have. Go for it!!

THANKS I just might! It's raining HARD here off and on today.. I'll drive by and see there is anybody working today.

The Long Trailer is one of our favorite old movies. I had to laugh when reading the comments. My front courtyard flagstone path is lined with rocks we have gathered over 30 years of marriage and many moves and hikes. Many we got when they blasted for a manmade lake in our state. DH went out to see how they were coming along and found all kinds of neat rocks that had been uncovered. We also take hiking trips into the desert and often bring back interesting colored rocks. Our last 2 moves we had so many and didn't want the movers to charge us for their weight. So-we have a boat and filled it with rocks, along with the truck bed and brought our "best" rocks with us! Yeah, some say we must have rocks for brains! LOL!

Brought your "best rocks" with you! I can so relate, how funny!

I have started a new path thru the newly cleared-of-all-grass lot. I have the path partially lined with rock and I'm working towards completion. I now have NO grass to mow and this past spring I started "filling 'er up"! It's coming along, I'm pleased.

LOL - ya'll had me laughing out loud. It used to be a family joke that anytime my husband and I went on a trip, we would come back with some pretty rock or rocks! ^_^ I have a large 30' circle in my driveway that is surrounded by rocks that we picked up a few at a time taking my son to polevault class....... we finally got that one finished and now I need more rocks for a new bed - the kids say "no stopping for rocks" but it sure beats BUYING them!! Leaves more money to spend on plants (not to mention pole vault lessons!!)

Genna

Hey, psych, I'm wondering... do you know how your cement and rock border held up through a winter or two? I like the idea of pouring a "mowing edge" (still have a little grass here, LOL), but I didn't want to create a future headache.

The rock border held up fine during the winter I was there. I did put a "fiber board" spacers between every 4 - to 6 feet of border to give the cement room to expand during freeze and thaw. I poured the border in increments as I had time and help.

Thanks! Good tip about using the spacers. :-)

I've seen my borders since and they continue to hold up. I poured them in 2004 or before.

Glad it is still looking great. You should be proud.

I am. I loved the way it turned out. I'd like to do one here in Othello.... maybe next year.

I'm wondering how deep the trench was into which you poured the cement. Mostly I cut my lawn edges with a weed wacker and sometimes quite deeply to prevent the creeping grasses from growing into the garden bed. I think your edging is especially wonderful for it's informality. The rocks look naturally placed-not in a line. Great job.

I only dug it about 6+ inches and tapered back to about 2 inches. I lined the trench with newspaper to help me control, contain it while I worked it. I REALLY enjoyed it and would gladly do it again.