I have soo many wonderful friends. Many people come to work in my garden, some for free, some for pay. Many people come to help divide plants when they spread too far, or pack too tightly. I only have soo much space. 2 acres looked like a lot in 2004; but now I can see the first half of the garden taking shape and I can look out back to the west and envision the garden that will soon find it’s way to the far corners of this 2 acre lot.
Plants have a way of taking over, throwing seed, spreading roots, popping up where they shouldn’t be. So, yes, I have truly wonderful friends who love to come over and help with the work of maintaining this garden, and share in it’s bounty from time to time.
The two front rock berms are finally done. There’s a total of 25 tons of black and red granite on each berm: 12.5 tons of large boulders, and approximately 12.5 tons of 6-12″ rip rap. Jester and I worked on these berms for an entire week. We set each stone so that you can walk on it and it will not move. When I’m weeding or tending the plants on the berms I can walk from rock to rock without worrying about it moving out from under my foot and possibly turning an ankle.
I bought a variety of dwarf evergreen shrubs and xeric roses to go on he berm, and snaked the irrigation lines down in between the rocks, out of sight. It took me 18 months, shopping at sales and getting lucky at the nursery to get all the shrubs I needed. The tree in front of the berm is a brilliant fushia crab apple. the catalpas that we planted (the most expensive trees we have purchased to date) died in this springs early freezing temps. I called the nursery where we purchased them and they said that 100’s of Catalpas had died that winter. Apparently they pulled their sap up into their branches during a warm spell in February, and then when it went down below free double digit temps, the sap froze and burst in their veins. So sad.
Fall 2010: Hot pink Mums.
This isn’t the best picture, but take a look at how much the privet hedges have grown! they are about 24″ in this pic. And we put a rock edging in front of the lily bed too.
