Yard Project, Part 6

No work was done at all on Tuesday because "Something Came Up". I've heard that excuse before... But they showed up bright and not so early yesterday and now they're gone and everything's cleaned up. Here's where we are:

  

We dumped out some old potting soil on the end to back-fill a little. There were plenty of rocks left and that's why we did the connector on the end. I'll have to get a couple of bags of top soil to fill in a little behind the upper wall.

Jamie was so sweet to try and save moss and tuck it in the cracks. I hope it lives -  it's pretty dried out.

And, on the other side of the driveway:

Isn't that just gorgeous??

While Dave was here he did some other little projects for me that have been on the list for awhile. He fixed my bathroom sink drain, caulked between the bathtub and the floor, and built a new step on the other side of the porch. It was always just a little low there and I had been piling mulch up to make up for it, but this is much better: 

And, remember this picture from last summer?

Well, NO MORE, YOU SLITHERY BASTARDS!!

HA!

Now it just needs to be painted.

It's my turn to do some hard work now. There's grass to pull/kill in those new beds and mulch to spread to make it look pretty. Then, I'll get to plant some new things. I'm still thinking about what would look good. Any suggestions you might have will be considered, so comment away!

Yard Project, Part 5

Yay! Mama is a happy girl now. I'm delighted with how this will finally turn out. I think. I might have a few small changes, we'll see. But for the most part this is the image I had in my head. I know that the more additions I make the more money it will end up costing me, but I'd rather have it done right than to wish it was different once the workers are gone.We decided to put in another wall behind the first one and terrace the bank. If they made the lower wall even with the top of the bank I would have to buy soil to back-fill behind it. There were so many rocks left that this seemed like the better idea.

I got a pathway that leads up to the existing path behind the porch:

Here's a view of that pathway from the house:

And another path that leads up to my LP Gas tank. (Smart idea -- because you KNOW that the gas delivery guy would step all over this wall, and probably my garden plants too,  if he didn't have steps to guide him.)

And we'll add another course of rocks on the lower wall before it's all finished.

They ran out of gravel and it was getting late, so they quit for the day. I'm sure that this will get finished tomorrow and they may even get started on the other side of the driveway.

I've pulled out all my gardening books so that I can try and decide what to plant in here. I don't have it all figured out yet, but I think I want a hydrangea at the top of the pathway to the back garden. I'm also thinking about dwarf mondo grass, and ajuga as ground covers. Oh... so many possibilities!

New Yard Project, Part 4

I was away all day yesterday and when I got home the guys were all packed up and gone. This is what got done:

Looks great, doesn't it? Unfortunately, they didn't call or leave me a note, so I hope they don't think they're finished. Here's another view:

What I pictured in my mind was more level ground from the existing garden over to the wall. There's still a pretty steep slope. I think I need either a couple more courses of rock on the end away from the house, or a second wall behind it with some terracing. What do you think? I'll have to talk to the main rock guy and see what he has to say. After all, I have quite a bit of rock left:

See the timbers on the ground behind those rocks? That's phase two. I want a short rock curb in place of that wood, to match the other side of the driveway. I hope they'll be back on Monday...

New Yard Project, Part 3

I thought for sure that today would be a washout, too. I woke to pouring rain and thunder and no workers were here. Then, about noon, the sun came out and they showed up to get a few hours' work in. Here's where we are today:

Yay! It's starting to look like a wall! Tomorrow I have to be at the gallery all day, and the weather is supposed to be nice, so I hope I'll come home in the evening to find a lot of progress. Keep watching!

A New Yard Project

Yesterday I had almost 4 tons of rocks delivered. It was so much fun watching the delivery guy maneuver these giant pallets off the truck and into the exact spot I wanted them. He'd obviously done it many times before! These rocks are going to go here:

As a dry-stack retaining wall in place of the 6x6 timbers. The timbers were left over from having a roof put over the deck, so I could have a covered porch.  The wall will hold back the bank and allow me to have a level garden space behind it. Plus, it will look a lot better than the timbers. If we have any rock left over, there will be a matching edge on the other side of the driveway.

Work was supposed to start this morning, but they blew a tire on the trailer that was bringing gravel and scree. They said I'd be lucky to have the materials delivered today. Hopefully, tomorrow they'll get started. I'm already dreaming of creeping phlox spilling over the edge and beautiful moss growing in the cracks. More pictures later.

Beautiful Garden Pictures

My friend Kimberly was visiting recently and took these lovely photos of my garden. Thank goodness they're close-ups, because I'm not happy with the garden this year. It's over grown and many things need dividing and I haven't felt like doing any weeding, so some weeds are bigger than the flowers. Ugh. But Kimberly has shown me that there's still beauty if you get close.

Thank you, Kimberly!

More Butterflies

I don't remember another year when there were so many butterflies and so many different kinds! I'm still trying to get a photo of the white one with pale blue markings, but no luck yet. It's interesting how some of them almost know you're there with a camera and spread their wings so you can get a good shot, like the one in the top photo. Others never open their wings unless they're flying off, like the yellow one in the bottom photo. That's a lovely picture, but I wish I could get a picture of the tops of it's wings. They're bright buttercup yellow with grey markings. I guess she's shy.

Good to Know

I didn't know that this was such a big deal, but apparently they can keep your wishes from coming true! Be nice to them.

My Incredibly Gorgeous Garden

This is what I've been waiting for! From now until about the middle of August there will be color abound in my garden. Everything has started to bloom, but it's not quite at peak yet. Depends on how much rain we get, but I'm thinking maybe a week from now it will be worthy of a photo shoot for a gardening magazine.

The box in the center has basil, beans and strawberries planted in it, plus a few zinnias and daisies. The beans have lots of flowers, so the beans can't be too far beind. Now that I'm getting a few tomatoes from the front yard the basil is getting picked almost daily.

The winters here can be pretty harsh. Dark, dreary, cold and snowy. When those first crocuses and daffodils start to bloom I can see everything else peeking out of the ground. I wait. I pull weeds and maybe divide a few things. And wait. Now it's here and I can't stay in the house. I'm out on the porch most of the day trying to read or work, but mostly enjoying the flowers, the hummingbirds, the butterflies, and the birds at the feeders. Come over and have a glass of wine and enjoy it with me!