Monday, April 20, 2015

The Plan Was...


Here's the yard when we first bought the house. A blank canvas, ready to make into my dream garden. I collected images, thanks to Pinterest, and wanted to use the whole yard to form nice neat beds, filled with every plant imaginable.
Cleopatros farm potager. Notice how nicely space is shared in tiny squares, and how trees are included in.
So many ideas, but of course there is one problem. We have no soil. Now that we see what the builders are actually doing to everyone's plot before the house is built, we know they dump rock and cover it lightly with clay and then Bermuda grass. Ugh. So my lovely plans had to be altered. Enter raised beds.
Parterre Garden Design on La Vida    Interplanting Flowers And Herbs In The Vegetable GardenLivestock Tank Planters painted
Again, Pinterest provided the idea of using stock tanks as raised beds, and luckily, I convinced Dave to let me do this. He had to help of course, since the heavy lifting is his forte.
And then concrete blocks entered the picture...
These I could practically do myself. At least I could go to Home Depot, pay for them and have the workmen load them into my van. Dave did the transferring into place, as I pointed and directed.
Armed with more planting space and enthusiasm than good sense, I enlarged my ideas and began to invest in more plants.


 The Pink Dogwood, Rhododendrons, Knockout Roses, all of which are fine in pots, temporarily, but will outgrow them very soon, Ah, it was then I realized I needed one more bed.

Double high for deeper roots, and angled to avoid encroaching on the adjacent pear tree. We got the blocks and built them without a sketch! Geniuses, we are. Seconds after we finished, and were sipping our G&Ts, the rain came down again and that was it for the day. Today we fill it with dirt and plants and again, see the light at the end of the tunnel. So happy.
 




7 comments:

  1. Love the corner bed! The yard is really shaping up beautifully. Julie

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  2. It would be interesting to see an aerial view. Do you know anyone with a go pro equipped drone? :)

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  3. I love a garden, but I'd love one that comes with a gardener, more.

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  4. I just had a thought. The way you paint and design I can see you metal tanks painted in bright yellows and blue like you do your small paintings. It would be awesome.
    Just clean the outsides with white vinegar and get paint that adheres to metal or spray paint. You back yard would look like the Museum of Modern Art.

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  5. I just had a thought. The way you paint and design I can see you metal tanks painted in bright yellows and blue like you do your small paintings. It would be awesome.
    Just clean the outsides with white vinegar and get paint that adheres to metal or spray paint. You back yard would look like the Museum of Modern Art.

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  6. I have a fig tree that must me planted this year - pushing it's life in a muck bucked. And your other pots remind me I use to plant my lovely blue pots with shade things..... it is the water thing that puts brakes on my gardening. Amazing we are still having lovely days..... I need to get out there and WORK. I was surprised that you did not stager the cinder blocks for strength purposes but things sure look GOOD.

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