I apologize for being unable to blog for some time due to family issues and hope that I have not lost any followers. Donna at Funky Junk Interiors is asking for other bloggers to post their garden features, so I am writing this blog about my garden to get me into the groove again.
I love gardening and it has really taken over a large part of my property. Fortunately I have 8 acres, so lots of room for a large flower garden or two, or three...
I made the bridge, that crosses the stream bed between the house and the workshop. I used old pallet wood for the decking and a couple of found 2 x 10's (or 2 x 12's?) for the sides and logs for the railing. Some of the vertical logs have been worked at over the years, by woodpeckers. I wanted it to look rustic and it certainly does now.
The area of my largest garden sits under trees between the house and the new workshop, just over this little bridge. When I moved here almost 10 years ago there was an old shed and small garden around a small pond in this area. I dug the whole garden out by hand and all the rocks I found I saved in piles to use in the garden. The huge ones mostly stayed in the area I found them, but I did manage to move them upwards by throwing dirt underneath them, digging them up some more and prying them upward while throwing more dirt underneath. Believe it or not you can move mammoth rocks this way with patience and a bit of "elbow grease." The smaller rocks, about 4 - 8" in diameter were used in the bottom of the stream that is created in the spring with runoff water. Most of the time it's a dry bed of rocks.
Here is some Rock Cress over the edge of the stream bed:
There is a heart shaped garden right in the middle, with paths around it. In the middle of the heart is a bird bath. To the left is a bench I made out of pressure treated wood.
At the top of the previous photo, to the right of the bench, is a small pond with resident frogs:
Some lupines in the springtime in front of the bird bath:
Here's another view which includes hostas, lupines and bellflowers:
Columbines are beautiful, but boy do they seed everywhere!
I also have a lot of bellflowers (campanula):
This pretty Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum) was a new addition last year:
These are just some of the many perennials I have in my gardens. I am always dividing flowers and moving them to new beds that I make. I have lots of duplicates, but that's okay, you can even trade with neighbours and save the cost of buying new plants.
I believe the secret to a good garden is good soil and compost. I bought some beautiful black topsoil from a local man who delivered it in a dump truck. You can tell the good stuff by the colour. This was almost black and slightly moist... fabulous stuff. I use compost that I make myself from left over peels, rinds, tea bags, etc. that I throw in a large plastic compost bin. It is so exciting to see it all ready to use the next year. I sprinkle it on my beds between flowers and dig it in a little.
