Future project awaits! There are 52 breeze stones here, enough to make a nice sized wall 13′ long and 4 stones high, or for more privacy maybe a 7′ wide x 7′ tall screen? Ohhh the possibilities! $44. (The flagstone to the right was purchased last summer, and will be used for the labyrinth.)
These 5 pedestals are 30″ high, including the base piece. I got them for $25 each. I think I’m going to put large pots on them, but they could also lend themselves to being a bird bath or feeder, or pedestal for statuary. I’ll figure it out.
White daisyfirst year for the transplanted iris (white, pink and black)turkish yellow poppyWinter aconite. these were grouped around the base of the red dragon, but the bunnies dug under the dragon and threw the bulbs everywhere.Tulip and orange daylilly on the berms. I have about 12 patches like this sprinkled all over the bermsDaffodils. there are 200 daffodils planted around the tree. I’ll be adding more this fall!Iris at the edge of the noodle garden, with daffodils int he backgroundclose up of the tulips and other spring bulbs in the noodle gardenthe noodle garden. Mixed early bulbs in the front (tulips, grape hyacinth, purple glory of the snow and crocus). In the background around tree is a daffodil mixOrange oriental poppyMother’s Wort and Cat mint, always first to pop upGiant purple alium and dwarf stella de oro daylillyTulip mix
I love the look of snow on branches. These two pigeons are a mated pair; they’ve been hanging about in our garden for about 4 years now.
A pair of pigeons
Below, the giant Fraxis growing in a pot. It will reach 12 feet tall one day.
A pop of colorFront Porch protective Cairn, buried under the snow
Of all the plantings in my garden, the hedges are one of my favorites. I feel like they’re one of my greatest successes, planted as 1/8″ diameter 18″ high twigs in 2007.
I love the hedges, all seasons!
A magical winter wonderland
Blue spruce, north sideA nice 3″ of snow
The wind blew so fierce and cold, at about -10 degrees, that the snow formed into icicles, and froze in place in the direction of the wind in that particular part of the garden.
New flag stone patiolooking from the north, the patio is surrounded with xeric Prairie sage (Artemisia ludoviciana)
the Mad Hatter’s Table is tucked behind the tall Maximilian sunflower from August through first frostMom’s whimsical tea pots that she made for the Hatter’s table
Blackbirds eating the sun flower seedsRobin nest, front porch. The Robin’s have been nesting in this same nest for 4 years nowRabbits, eating the lawn. they actually eat the grass right down to the roots, and leave big holes in the lawn
Ok, this is not going to be the prettiest post, but I have a BIG garden, and during the year I make a BIG mess tending it. I don’t always put things away where they should go, and then I acquire more things and don’t know where to put them so I just toss them somewhere, or I’m in the middle of three projects at the same time and don’t make time to put things away or organize in between. Anyway, the garden storage area can really start looking like a mess. (I also have a storage area inside the garage for the chemicals, fertilizers, irrigation parts and things that shouldn’t be left outside.) So here are some before and after pics:
North outside storage and materials areaRear North storage area, after organization
Working my way around the Dragon garden, creating elemental representations in the space. I was mesmerized by the Chihuli Exhibit at the Denver botanical Garden’s last year and have wanted to put up a wall of fire in my garden ever since I saw the one they had in their exhibit.
When we built the curved bridges to go over the dry river beds we had a lot of wood left over, and several pieces that were either spear shaped or had a curve in them, due to how the bridge was laid out. I asked Brian to trim them up in curvy, flame-like shapes. He did a great job. they sat around in buckets out behind the house for a year, till I got around to doing this project as one of our community work days.
Curvy cut pressure treated wood, for the flames
Before everyone came over Brian and Dug out trenches to delineate the space, laid out the weed barrier and then held it down with the pressure treated 2x6x10’s.
Trenching out the edge of the fire installation bed
Laying out and pinning down the weed barrier fabric
We had to hold the wood down in a vice to drill the 3/8″ holes into the wood, then we took them outside and had one person stand on them while another person pounded in the 3/8″ rebar. This was really hard to do! When they were done, they were taken to the fire display area and placed into the ground through the fabric.
Pushing in the wood flames, and painting themPainting
I placed the longest flames first and then the medium and then the shortest.
In charge of cutting the fabric and pushing in the flames. Rebar had to be pounded into the ground first to make a hole.Wellyssa, supervising the painting
We painted the flames with neon, outdoor paint, they glow in the sun shine. Darkest colors at the tips and yellow and white at the bottom to symbolize a white/hot heat.
All the flames are in place
Lava rock added
We added 2″ of 2″dia lava rock throughout the flames to finish off the look. It’s amazing, you can almost feel the flames. Actually, something to know about lava rock, it holds a LOT of energy, myself and certain others can’t get within 6′ of it without getting dizzy. You can feel the movement of the rock, like a lava flow.
Putting in a trellis and fenced area for the blackberry vines. they’ve been in the ground 2 years now and are starting to grow longer shoots. We laid down fabric up next to the Garden of Pain and out from the Blackberry plants 6′ on both sides.
View from Blackberry trellis to back of houseThe support wires are held on with eye bolts and turn-buckles
The trellis support wires are held on with eye bolts, turn-buckles and heavy duty wire, plastic coated. Brian made the trellises, I designed them based on some pictures I saw online. I added the pineapple finial on top which I’ve been keeping in a box in the garage for 20 years. Seriously, I knew I would find the right purpose for those finials one of these days! They look like a blackberry on top after being painted purple. Ha!
Fabric to control weeds inside the perimeter of the fence and outside to keep grass from growing around and under the fence
I bought antique fencing which I found on Craig’s list. I love it. Painting was tedious, 2 coats of outdoor house paint, in three colors.
More painting
painting the trellisCompleted trellis, fence, gate and gravel added
We secured the fencing to the 4×4 posts, added handmade, custom sized gates (to allow wheelbarrow access), and then put down 3″ of small gravel.
