Hi everyone!
I’m fairly new to DG and have been lurking in the shadows reading all your wonderful posts and oohing and awing at all of your pictures. This is a fantastic site!
After almost 50 years of living in tropical/warm climates or in factory lofts and only being able to container garden, we’ve moved to New England and bought a 9 acre horse farm (but we don’t have horses), 3 acres of which are lawn and garden areas surrounding the house. But the gardens and shrubs had been neglected for 50 years (the grass was routinely cut but that’s about it). So now after 30 years of reading magazines with beautiful gardens and suddenly faced with eyesore after eyesore, I’ve been BIT … and I’m afraid it could be fatal … by the GARDENING BUG.
I don’t even remember what I used to do in the 3 hours between dawn and start-of-work and the 3 hours between end-of-work and dusk. I’m sure this black box filled with electronics got watched a good bit and I think at one time I used to knit (every now and then I glimpse baskets of yarn behind pots of flowers) and I think I used to like to cook and I think I even have some homemade quilts on some of my beds. But those memories are quickly being crowded out by all these fantastic thoughts running through my head … “oh! We could dig up the sod here and there and put in these!”.
So, this is year #2 and my husband says I’m obsessed (but he likes to tour the garden with me … I think he secretly loves the latest obsession). The question for all of you is what am I missing that I absolutely MUST have?
Here’s what we’ve done so far (and by the length of the list it may LOOK like we are independently wealthy but when you divert every spare penny of discretionary spending to a trip to Lowes, Home Depot and local garden centers and skip a few meals a week because you’re working late in the garden and are too exhausted to eat, you can afford to mailorder some amazing plants. My clothes may now look ratty but my garden is looking beautiful!
Last year:
1) Driveway Island: Replaced some extremely overgrown yews with a dwarf conifer, boxwood, hostas and clematis growing up some metal garden structures.
2) East Driveway Garden: Removed several overgrown shrub/trees (haven’t a clue as to what they were) and replaced with creeping phlox, fescu, snow-in-summer, ladies mantle, delphinium, peonies, columbine, nikko blue hydrangeas and 10 5-gallon containers filled with annuals.
3) Front Garden: Removed more yew and replaced with Echinacea, Hellenium, Mt Laurel, Scotch Broom, Yarrow, Blanket Flower, Foxglove, Campanula, Lamb’s Ear, Speedwell, Russian Sage and more Boxwood.
4) Last fall we removed sod in what is now the West Driveway Garden and put in almost 1000 bulbs (tulips, daffs, anemone --- loved them!, muscari and crocus) … actually about a third of the bulbs went into the Front Garden and some critter got most of them. To the bulbs I added some oriental poppies, more peonies, some Coconut & Lime Echinacea and strawberries and cream Asiatic lilies.
5) Patio Area Garden: Dug up sod and planted hollyhocks.
In the barn is an old walk-in fridge that ended up being perfect for forcing bulbs so I forced a bunch of tulips and muscari and planted them in containers earlier this spring.
So far this year:
West Driveway Garden: Added Sea Holly (can’t wait to see them bloom… they are fantastic looking in the pictures), chrysanthemums, phlox, and a bunch of test groundcover/trailers such as more creeping phlox, periwinkle, golden moss, veronica, and soapwort (after reading a recommendation to someone else on DG)—the garden is retained by a rock wall and I’d like some things to spill over the wall.
Then I was looking across my husband’s beautiful lawn to a shady area across a stream and thought, wouldn’t that be a great place for a woodland garden! There is a cute little bridge that leads over to that area and it is cool and shady and you can hear the stream gurgling and birds chirping. So in the Woodland Garden I’ve planted a shade-loving digitalis, helleborus, lily-of-the-valley, heucherella, Himalayan blue poppies, bleeding hearts, Virginia bluebells, Soloman’s Seal and my neighbor gave me some lungwort (I think that’s what she called it).
But as I was scoping out the future Woodland Garden I towed my husband over and had him look back at THAT side of the house … what an eyesore! So last weekend we dug up 450 square feet of soil (thank goodness the farm came with a tractor) and planted a back drop of red osier dogwood to which we added several Bluebeard, Gold Mound Spirea, fuschia Rhododendrum, Blue Holly, yellow azalea, butterfly bush and around the deck we added a parade of hydrangea … 2 oak leafs, a mophead (preziosa), and hydrangea paniculata limelight … and a clematis. Mail ordered but not arrived yet is Hydrangea macrophylla Glowing Embers and a Monge Lilac (deep purple flowers). Very eclectic, eh? Oh, and on the deck rails I planted 9 self-watering flower boxes (what a great invention those self-watering containers are!) with annuals.
But there’s still about 200 square feet left to plant. It’s in the same area as the hollyhocks, southeast facing, mostly sunny. Another neighbor has given me a primrose to plant there. I’m thinking also some allium, leucanthemum … what else???
Help! I've been BIT!
Hi welcome to the best forum
HORSE FARM ?
hope they left manure nicely composted along with the tracter.
I hope you have roses planned for somewhere.
You sound like your not a complete novice.
Your gardens sound glorious and ambitious.
There are posters here who will be generous with their input.
I'm not able to suggest anything, just started to remake a neglected 20 year old garden myself. I'll check back from time to time.
Do you have pictures,? we count on them.
ge, we were left with oodles and oodles and oodles of horse manure compost. We've given away dozens of tractor buckets full to neighbors and it hasn't made a dent. Plus this place was a dairy farm for 200 years prior so we do have good dirt. I'll post some pictures in a bit.
Ah, you lucky duck! Old shrubs and trees are what people love! Do you know about the 3-year "rule" about taming old shrubs? Cut out 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 each year to completely refresh an old shrub.
My advice would be: don't get rid of stuff very fast. It's irreplaceable, and you can always cut it down "tomorrow"
My DH cut down some old roses back when we first moved into our old neglected 10 acre "yard" 24 years ago. And some old yews, too. Thank goodness I stopped him from attacking the 3 insanely huge flowering quince bushes that are the size of a small cottage. It's the highlight of garden in spring. We rue the day, when we see what old, estate quality yews are priced at at the fanciest garden stores...hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
That being said...take tons of pix and HAVE A BALL!
Many of us would kill for your manure.
Jo Ann
Me, for one. LOL! Welcome!
Welcome to DG and the forum! Would love to have your 'problem'!! Sounds like you're off to a good start. I would definitely do lots of edibles.
Speaking of manure - Expect has chicken doo doo in 40# bags for less than $20!. I love it - has more oomph than cow poo.
Hi, pua! Welcome to the northeast and this fun forum! You've done so much already. Congratulations! I love Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia- the dwarf 'Little Spire' gets about 2-2.5' and doesn't flop). I have it planted with leucanthemum and they look great together. Oops, I see you already have R. Sage. Boy, there's not much you haven't already planted :0) You can always use more coneflower (Echinacea) with all the great new varieties. Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) may sound boring, but it can light up a space. I see you already have some creeping phlox, which I love, but another nice ground cover is creeping thyme. There are tons of varieties with different fragrances and different colored blooms.
If you're looking for another smallish shrub, Weigela is great. I have 4 varieties. 2 full-size ('Variegata', 'French Lace') and 2 dwarf ('My Monet', 'Midnight Wine'). They are gorgeous in full bloom and have great foliage when not in bloom...either variegated or purple. I'm also delighted with my new (last year) flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) 'Cameo'. The plant is still very small but bloomed beautifully on one branch this spring and the leaves are a nice dark green. This variety is smaller than most quince but also has no thorns, a real plus.
Last, but not least, I have to echo what ge1836 said...'I hope you have roses planned for somewhere.' If you don't 'know' roses, it shouldn't keep you from planting a few in your mixed beds. Some of the newer shrub roses, like the 'Knock Outs', are very easy care and not too large. If you want something perhaps a bit larger, but very hardy and tough, the rugosas are a good choice.
OK, I guess I've put in more than my 2 cents worth... call it 2 bits LOL. There are plenty of folks here who know more than me (in fact, in sounds like you do). We really do love pictures here. I'm dying to see some of your works-in-progress!
jan
Daisy,
I did NOT know about the 3-year rule and I was telling my husband about it and how you stopped your husband from cutting down your quince in the nick of time (because I've been considering purchasing and planting a quince) ... and he said, that big old shrub that we cut down on the side of the driveway last year was a quince! @#$*&)!! So now I am not letting him cut at anything and we are doing research to figure out what these shrubs are first ... especially over in the Woodland Garden area ... I swear someone several decades ago planted that area as a beautiful garden. There is a huge lace cap hydrangea that shades the stream and just the positioning of some of the shrubs makes it seem like they were intentional.
Since your property was so large, did you also have a "problem" with maples? I hate calling maples a problem (I love them and think they are beautiful) but they grow like weeds around here. We've had to cut down a few (we've used them for fire wood) because they are crowding out the apple, pear and Japanese maple trees. Any ideas on how to handle them? Also, under the Japanese maple there are hundreds of little Japanese maple seedlings (I think last year we were oblivious to them and my husband just mowed them down when he was mowing what little grass there is there). I'm not sure I have the energy to dig them all up but I hate to see them go to waste so would be willing to dig up some. Any idea of what kind of project they would be to "raise"?
I'd LOVE to hear more about what you did with your property ... we have talked about growing grapes or lavender but I'm not sure we have the time.
Thanks again for the tips--
Pua
JM seedlings tend to be pretty tough. Just pot them up or leave them in a place where they won't be disturbed. I've done both. I like to experiment with them since they're freebies. I have been pruning a few that are in the ground every year keeping them small and they have maintained a decent shape.
Ge & Grampapa,
Boy DO I want to plant some roses! We hope to be able to replace a cracked patio next summer and then we will put up a pergola around which I want to plant roses-- so I am saving a special spot for them and have been thumbing through a number of catalogs to figure out which ones.
And okay I will add Blackeyed susans ... always wanted some ... and I will have to check out Weigela ... I'm not familiar with them. I was just over visiting my neighbor's garden this morning and she has creeping thyme and they are spilling over her rock wall and are beautiful. I'll be looking for them now too.
Schickenlady, my neighbor gave me some daylillies and they will be added to this new spot but I will be on the hunt for more ... thanks!
Victorgarden,
Last summer I got the biggest surprise! I have a very persistent unidentified shrub/weed that grows against the house. It grows so big so fast that in between my battles with it I just try to ignore it. Well last summer I ignored it for too long and one day in the midst of this ugly shrub, out popped a cherry tomato plant. And it turned out to be the most prolific cherry tomato plant, there amongst the hydrangeas and peonies, I'd ever seen. It took over a substantial part of the garden! And the tomatos were very tasty.
Sadly, I travel a lot for work so I'm not sure I can keep up with a vegetable garden. Any ideas on some low maintenance edibles?
Thanks all for the tips ... keep them coming!
puananiloa - I can totally relate to your descriptions of obsession! Welcome to DG. We'd love to see pictures...
Welcome! (I hate to cook, too.) I think we're all a little "OCD" when it comes to gardening. My 11-yr-old will go outside to look for me before she even thinks to look around in the house - she's well-trained!
Here are some before and after pictures ... front of the house last spring
and front of the house now
Very nice!
The urns were the relatively inexpensive ones from Sam's Club (hey, why spend $$$ on big bucks urns when no one gets close enough to know the difference!) ... and here is a view of the Driveway Island garden from the other side
and a close up of the crystal fountain clematis
and now a "before" of the East Driveway Garden (I love naming them ... it sounds so pretentious!).
What a beautiful place, and welcome.
(I'm from the NE, don't hang out here much, but they have never run me off!)
About roses, my best suggestion would be old garden roses, the rugosas take care of themselves and are a definite presence in any garden. They do not suffer from black spot and laugh at most of the other pests that modern roses fall prey to. They also rebloom, albeit lightly, unlike many of the other ogrs. Gallicas are sweet, small, bloom once quite profusely, do get black spot, but will come back time and time again from even a total defoliation. Multiflora hybrids are often strong and hardy roses. I have an old one called Goldfinch aka around here as Buttercream for its butter colored buds that open to heavy cream colored blossoms. Some older hybrid roses to look for are FJ Grootendoorst, aka the Carnation Rose, in both red and pink, a rose that will bloom well into November even here in the frozen north; and La Reine Victoria, a profuse bloomer with lovely full blown cabbagy type roses. A small species rose that is totally oblivious to pests and disease is the Green Rose, funny little green flowers with dark red accents. As for modern roses, I would recommend David Austin's roses over hybrid teas. They have more staying power.
Ah, I guess that's all I have to say! lol
and another "Before"
and here it is as of this morning
Kathleen, I am going to SAVE your post for when it comes time for roses ... do you have pictures? Do you have these all growing in your garden?? Thanks much for all that info ...
schickenlady, I think DG sorted it all out ... no problem ... and here is a closeup of one of the peonies in East Driveway Garden
and a "Before" of the West Driveway Garden ... this is a lovely area that I really didn't need to touch except for there was a little slope next to the driveway that my husband didn't like to mow
and here in that slope are the bulbs planted last Fall ... ready to appear when they die off are strawberries and cream asiatic lillies and ... well you can read the first post for the rest
and more of the bulbs
and the Front Garden newly planted last spring (in the very first picture I posted you can barely see there used to be a huge yew shrub here).
and the Front Garden today
welcome ... welcome... you are in good company... I am also addicted to gardening... and to roses... and now irises...
great job! you have started the transformation!!!!! you have my admiration and support!!!!! get some roses... oh they will look great in your garden!!!!
If it's all right with you, I'll start another thread - this one is your's and should stay that way.
Okay, all this talk of roses ... I just went and scoped out a spot in the East Driveway Garden because it gets the most sun.
I have a 7' pyramid trellis that I want to put somewhere. Aren't there climbing roses that I could train up that trellis?
I know nothing about roses but will start reading up.
Your transformation is wonderful.Is that a Ligularia in the front of the driveway? where you took out the Taxuscusps?
I have high hopes for mine if thats the case.
Jo Ann
Kathleen,
If you start another post will you promise to post pictures??
I looked up the La Reine Victoria cabbage roses ... OMG they are beautiful. I will find a place for those somewhere.
ge,
Good eyes! That is a ligularia but I must confess ... last year we wanted to get something in there quick and spotted a bunch of different types of coleus so they anchored the front of the island last year. Of course we didn't get them up and in the house in time to spend the winter so we just planted that ligularia last weekend to replace one of the coleus. I have high hopes for it too ... I'd never seen one before and my husband spotted it at a trip to a garden center. And we live on a fairly busy hilly road so that island gets covered with salt and sand during the winter. I'm thankful anything came back and will cross my fingers for the ligularia next winter.