Spring Projects - Show Us Yours!

Let's back up and start down the path where this whole project started! I pasted two pictures together to show the bed on the corner where I used the rocks I collected from the creek to edge the path. I still haven't laid the huge pavers I picked up in January but I'll get them in eventually. I need about 3-4 more to complete the path and one of our customers from PA was going to bring them with him if he could visit in June but I'm not going to be here :( So I've located another source but I need to figure out how to get them from him, he's in Gaithersburg so it might not be until next spring!

The only "original" Hosta here is the large 'Blue Angel' in the center. I knew there was a Hosta there but forgot which one and I planted 'Guardian Angel', 'Blue Angel' and 'Earth Angel' in back of the rock sculpture. Oh well, now there will be just be two there! Mini or dwarf Hostas are planted along the edge and since 'Blue Mouse Ears' is planted in front of the rock I think I'm going to have find a "mouse ornament" to place amongst the rocks :) Two different types of Pieris are planted on the right in the picture and although they're small now they should fill out the area in a few years. I probably planted the Hostas too close to each other but in the years to come I don't want to see any ground!

Oops, posted the wrong picture! This is the one that was "pasted" together LOL

Had to show you a close up of the rock sculpture. I had so much fun finding spots for all of my Christmas presents in the garden! This grasshopper is so small he would have been lost in the gardens but I was able to wedge him into the top of the rock. Now I just need to get moss growing on the rock so he'll have a soft spot to sit! This was a gift from my son and it came with a note - since he's become involved with "go green" he was extremely pleased to be giving me a gift from "recycled materials" :)

Another view of the Hostas with the lantern as the path curves toward the gazebo. The Hosta montana planted around it will hopefully grow tall enough to cover the electrical box. We have the electrical connection ready to light it at night but Rick discovered that the outlet on the gazebo is bad so it will have to be replaced :(

I should have posted this one first - the path as you enter from the driveway. All of the Hostas on the left were planted last week and I discovered the next day that Rick had taken the liberty of adding his own touch :( He pruned up the beautiful weeping branches of the Fir to expose its trunk behind the Hosta border and now I've got to plant something to fill the void! He was forgiven, however, when I turned around to see that he hauled pine needles from the top of the field to mulch the new Hosta bed :)

As you round the curve toward the new little pond and steps I finally found a spot for the tree stump I found on my walk with Phoebe earlier this spring! I played with its position and finally decided with it upright the arched bottom would mimic a "toad house". You'll see what I mean in the next photo :)

Eventually, hopefully soon, there will be a shrub or large Hosta planted behind the stump to close it in. It was a little difficult to position to keep it upright but I used the tall ornament my mother gave me for Christmas as a stake in back! It's a little tough to see but it's a frog and dragonfly that rocks with the wind. I took some of our collected flat rocks and made a "path" for the frogs and placed the stone frog, another gift, on the rock beside it. When I had our vase drilled in March at Springdale Water Gardens I picked up a couple of small sculptures, a frog and dragonfly, and found the perfect spot to wedge them into the stump! When I showed Rick what I had been working on he took one look at it, rolled his eyes and said: "you are so gay!" LOL Now if I just add a little moss for a bed under the stump I can only hope that the toads will find it as inviting as the frogs do :)

When you round the curve you're looking down on the new little pond. I still have more planting to do in this area but I'm pleased with what I've accomplished in the little amount of time I've had and it makes such a difference!

I already posted one photo of the new pond http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6594137 but this one gives you a different view. Once we switch the outlet at the gazebo my dragonfly dripper will be "dripping"! The Hosta on the left is 'Queen of the Seas' - thought it was appropriate planted near the water :) I have one planted in another area of the gardens and she's beautiful - her upright form and "rippled edges" will arch above the water!

Looking down the steps I've added a few more plants since the Hepaticas and spring bloomers were planted and more will follow soon!

Looking back up the steps gives you a different view. Pink and white Bletillas (Hardy Orchids) are planted on the left. They're small but should be 12"-18" tall next year! I ordered more from Van Bourgondien, not known for their reliability, and they're supposed to be rosey pink so we shall see. They were bare root, planted two weeks ago - so far no signs of life but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

One more view of the right side. On the bottom right, I planted a beautiful violet - Viola 'Heart Throb' http://www.terranovanurseries.com/wholesale/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=313 - we picked up at one the shows this spring. It hasn't bloomed yet but I really don't care, we bought it mainly for the foliage! Rick actually picked up three for "my" garden and then decided he wanted one for "his" garden. We're still discussing where the third one will be planted. LOL The bare spot left by the Dutchmen's Breeches was planted with Dicentra luxuriant which comes up after the DB fades away and continues to bloom all summer!

One more for this morning and then I've got a busy day ahead of me! Moving to the front door, one more spring project - getting our "disappearing fountain" running. It was fairly easy to set up after we decided on its placement on the front deck. We've had to adjust the speed of the water several times because it was splashing on the deck and we still have to add more rocks. Now I need to get my containers planted to surround it and disguise the base but after FOUR YEARS it's finally running and I love it! After it was set up I looked at it and said BUT, BUT it's not facing the right way - the glazed pattern is nicer on the other side :( Rick groaned and said, "live with it", we can change it next year after it's empty! LOL

RCN, I have put that Dicentra 'Gold Heart' on my wish list. Just love it.
What is that dark burgundy plant behind the Gold Heart at the base of the tree?
That little grasshopper is really cute and I picked it right out in the pic with the fir. Putting it on that rock in that location really makes it stand out. I just love what you are doing. I see what you meant in earlier comments about people not noticing your little water feature until you put that bloom in. I picked it right out of the pic as soon as I saw that blossom. I think I see one of your before and after signs in the back ground of one of the pics, I think that was a really good idea. Do I she Shredded umbrellas in some of your pics? Miata gave me shredded umbrellas and I just love them. The disappearing fountain is just gorgeous as is everything. This project is really inspiring.
I've been feeling a bit like a slacker this spring as I haven't gotten very far with my new projects and even still have plants that are still in pots. After viewing all your work, I now I know I'm a slacker. LOL

LOL, Holly, I had one woman visiting this weekend who said she was depressed after seeing the gardens! Told her that's exactly how I felt earlier when I realized how much weeding needed to be done! The purple plant is Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57029/, a plant which has been there for years. I've been tempted to pull it because it does tend to get a little greedy but I've resisted because I love the foliage. For now as long as I can control it, it stays :) Wow, you're good, you even spotted the Syneilesis! We used to have it growing by the front door and loved it. When Phoebe was so sick last spring the spot where it was planted was the shortest route for her to take care of "business" and it quickly succumbed :( I hated losing it but we've recently found a source for more and although this one is very young it should spread quickly within a year. I'm confident once the dragonfly is finally "dripping" everyone will "see" the pond but they'll probably "hear" it first :) Thank you for your compliments, Rick thought I'd lost my mind when I started this project in March but he's the first one to direct visitors to this new planting - I think he likes it and I'm not even done yet!

rcn, It looks wonderful!!! I love that stone path for the frogs and I was going to ask about (so I'm glad you told us) what that viola was(heart throb).

I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll, exploring all the new touches. LOVELY!

RCN, Every single part of your project looks beautiful. And Rick is right, you are so gay, but in the old fashioned sense of the word. Full of delight!

I like the idea of the clematis growing up the cedar. It's so nice using natural objects to blend in with the beautiful settings. Your Hosta beds are astounding. Noreaster posted a photo of hers on the Hosta forum with the Misty Lace Aruncus you recommended. They look great, I may have to get some.

I planted 8 of the Heart Throb Viola last year, but only 2 came back. They might not be reliably hardy here. They are beautiful. Are the tall canes bamboo?

Love your toad house and path and your latern is lovely. That disappearing fountain is very beautiful. The Grasshopper placement is wonderful, I was looking at your mulch, some of it looks like straw and others, pine needles. I also like the Peony backdrop behind the Hosta and Cedar.

LOL, I might be "gay" but I'm proud of it and having so much fun! My daughter rolls her eyes every time she's with me and I'm shopping for garden objects - tell her everyone needs some garden whimsy in their life and her "day" will come :) I don't usually post photos of Rick and I but our friend took this one this past weekend and when my daughter saw me in my hat, her immediate response was - you're NOT wearing THAT when you come to Maine! LOL

I love the Misty Lace Aruncus - looks similar to Astilbe but not nearly as fussy - our Astilbe pouts when we experience droughts like the past two years. I'm hoping the Heart Throb Viola make it! They have a little protection this area being under the pines so keeping my fingers crossed, it's so pretty! And yes, the tall canes are black bamboo - beautiful but after almost 15 years they're vigorously invading this area :( I would have had this project completed a long time ago if I hadn't had to fight with all the roots! The corner next to the driveway was the worst - right where the grasshopper is sitting on the rock. I started digging up the roots two years ago and gave up but decided to tackle it again this year. A lot of the mulch is pine needles from the trees overhead and those that line the property along the road but the bamboo drops its leaves very late every spring and that's probably what you're seeing that looks like straw - makes a mess along the rocks and moss but I've been raking it up to use until I get 'real' mulch :) The backdrop of Peonies are more of Rick's grandmother's - a very nice white which open later than the rest but again, get floppy. I've got to figure out something to plant on the other side of them toward the bog, just high enough to help hold them up but not too tall so you'll still see their blooms!

Almost forgot tell everyone - I've got great news! Remember my endless stream project?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=5638346 Well, I might just get it done this year! There was a young man here this weekend who's a local landscaper. We talked to him about having some tree pruning done for us and as we continued to walk through the gardens I showed him my idea for the stream. I really want to do most of the work myself but he's interested in getting it started for me by doing the heavy, grunt work - digging, etc. AND, he and his crew collect "mountain rocks" for their projects and said it would be a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a pallet from the local supplier! BUT, the best news? When I asked him what he charges for his work, he grinned and said I think we can work something out :) He and his girlfriend are looking for a lot of Hostas for their landscape and he's willing to work out some sort of trade!!! So...maybe by the time everyone's able to visit next year I'll have a new endless stream to show you :)

I LOVE your hat. WOOHOO!!!!! Don't you love it when a plan comes together? Bartering is a wonderful way to make two people happy. My hairdresser comes to cut mom's hair at the house and we did some picture framing for her.

That is great news. Bartering is a wonderful thing.

Yep! We just bartered away our "old" (not so old, but big & heavy!) TV for help finishing our painting project... figured if we got back its worth to us as a tax break, that would be a good deal for all parties!

OK Folks, Now I've got a white wall full of bird cr_p! The mulberry trees over there are full of the unripe berries and are attracting tons of birds. In a week or so the fence will be full of purple cr_p!! Well, It won't be all white anymore. LOL

LOL, sorry I know it's not really funny :) One of our friends was commenting the weekend of the Open House - "if you could just get the birds to stop pooping all over your plants!" If it makes you feel any better when I was working in the gardens on Monday, I felt 'something' hit my back as I was bent over. Thought a huge spider or something had fallen from the trees above but couldn't find anything. When I took my t-shirt off that night there was a huge stain on the back, suspiciously similar to the one on your fence - now who do you suppose "gifted" me? LOL

RCN, It really adds insult to injury. Two days now I've hosed it all down, and it would not all come off. Not only is it time consuming, but expensive. Not only do I have to pay for the water, but our township charges sewage treatment on every gallon of water usage. There ought to be a law against that!!! Bird cr_p sewage treatment!!!

Maybe you could have them do it in formation and then you would have a wonderful work of art and people would come from far and near to see this spectacle!

I haven't gotten splatted on yet this year, but I'm sure the day is coming.

Oh Stormyla, First the unwanted fence and now maintenance on the unwanted fence. I was thinking that when you first showed us the fence. My parents back neighbors put in a small patio and added a similar fence along the back property line. Mom's side has a lot of bushes so the fence doesn't get a lot of light during the summer but in the fall when the leaves are off you see the mildew and dirt that collected over the summer. So here is my 80 yr old Mom washing about 32ft of 6ft high fence and she has maybe 2ft to stand in between the fence and the bushes. She has a bucket and sponge with her and Dad is spraying it off as she works her way down the fence.
Call your neighbor and tell her that her fence is dirty and come clean it.

Okay, finally, this is what I've working on for weeks now. I planted 17 dahlias in this new bed. Here it is when I started. I have to use Roundup and then dig up all the weedy grasses and weeds around here, otherwise I swear as soon as my back is turned they're coming back up.

That wooden thing is the tripod I made for one of my roses that Jello got entangled in her leash and thought it was chasing her. I need to fix it and keep moving it around. Here's Gus checking out the new bed.

And here is everything planted. I left a strip for a path on the left so I can access this bed and the one next to it. I also had a section left at the end and, since I've planted all the dahlias, will plant something else there. I'm thinking maybe roses.

To give you an idea of how lousy my soil is, you can see the regular soil at the closest end next to the salvias. And this is the good soil, in other parts of the yard it's nothing but rocks.

The bed is a LOT bigger than it looks in these last photos. Those dahlias are planted about 2 feet apart.

Wow Hart that is a lot of work. LOL at the difference in soil we have that ,too. What Zone are you will you have to dig up your Dahlias in the fall? My Dahlias are still in pots as the new beds have not been put in yet. Things are moving slowly around here I see progress but it is slow in coming.

I'm in zone 6 - it's a lot colder here than the rest of Virginia. I'll definitely have to dig these in the fall. I have a couple of junky ones I got at Walmart that I don't dig but they're nothing special and planted in a very protected spot next to the house. Actually, I bought a bag of cheap ones on clearance last year just to see if they would overwinter as well. I planted about five dahlias and only one came back up. That was the one closest to the house and the protected spot.

Anyway, these are nice dahlias so I won't chance them getting killed. I have one more I planted in a concrete planter my mom gave me that she's had for 50 years or so.

I'm finally getting caught up on things that I got way behind on going back to three years ago when Daddy was so sick before he died. Every year it's been something right about the time I need to be getting lots done in the gardens. I'm not even putting in a vegetable garden this year so I can get caught up. The dahlia bed is something I've been wanting to do for several years.

Doc--Yoooo---Hoooo----!!!!!

Look what the many buds on MY Red Epi look like this year!!!!
I tell you! This is the 3rd year it will be blooming--and i am in for a SHOW!!!!
Never seen this many buds before! I have already had 5 blooms open and whither....
Here are the new ones to be...MAN! I am SOOOO impressed!!!!!

Here's one of the blooms that already bloomed--and now has faded...Sorry it is a bit fuzzy!

boy, why do we all work so hard?
My buddy that gave me leftover slate has 40 feet of ' edging stones' for me! Whatevr they look like I have a place for them.

Hart, Your new bed is fabulous! Can't wait to see those Dahlias. You need some good Pa Mushroom soil! At least you don't have to scavenge for rocks.

Sally, free garden goodies are the best kind!

RCN, you definitely need to pack that hat to go to Maine. Take it along on your shopping trip in your tote bag and when DD isn't looking whip it out and don it in some store!!!! Ask a passerby to photo the two of you together. Moms are entitled, especially garden gifting moms.

Gita, I love the enthusiasm you have with your lovely plants.

Oh, I bought a giant vine for the fence today. It's really pretty with purple pea like blooms and deep purple stems. It's a Hyacinth bean vine. Gita, you talked me into it. The local garden center was clearing out some plants and I came home with 2 Morning Glories.

Gita...............how large is the plant and how old.....or mine is how old and in how many years in average might we wait for a first bloom?

That sure is an impressive bloom.

doc--

I think I already answered those questions once.....I even sent you a picture of the leaf cuttings when i received them....I believe that was in 2006????

I will now post the 'fronds" with all the buds on them...It is just amazing! Every year there are more and more--and i do not really do anything to it....

These two are now close to opening...maybe 2 more days....

I am sorry if i digress with this from the "Spring Projects" theme--but we ARE having a conversation here with doc....

Here is another one........