It’s winter, so let’s stroll down garden memory lane, shall we? Here’s my back yard in the summer of 1985, soon after I’d bought the house and plopped that tiny deck on the back overlooking the woods. Notice especially the hideous cinder block wall with an opening waaay too narrow for a lawnmower to pass through it.. And DO ignore my outfit, which if I were better at Photoshop I would have deleted…somehow. Delete me entirely I mean.
And here’s a roughly equivalent shot taken about 20 years later. The new deck has been dubbed the "aircraft carrier" by a neighbor (he’s just jealous!) and the wall’s been replaced with a sloping mixed border and some large stone steps. Now I just wish I’d taken a helluva lot MORE before pictures. Don’t you, too?
x
{ 22 comments }
You’ve come a long way, baby. And thanks for reminding me to take lots of “before” photos of new garden-to-be.
Nice legs….I mean garden!
WOW!!!!
That is one amazing transformation! Just STUNNING!!!
Linda
Oh, before/after garden photos are my version of porn. Cannot get enough! Love the orange hotpants too, woot woo.
Wow, amazing! I wouldn’t have picked it out of a line up being the same back yard. You give me hope for my own blank slate of a yard.
Thanks!
Susan, that is a stunning transformation! You done good! (I’m sure your fashion choices have changed a great deal since 1985, too!)
Susan,
You’ve created a wonderful garden and wonderful doesn’t happen overnight! Love the before and after shots! gail
Awesome. Just Awesome.
You must be incredibly proud. You should be incredibly proud. Well done!
I love the before and afters, too. It’s always my favorite part of seeing gorgeous gardens – knowing how it was at the beginning. It’s inspiring to see what lines and features people choose to keep and then the things that we just dream up.
Very, very nice, Susan.
Susan, what a transformation – from suburban blah to genuine garden.
Regarding before photos, the 100th time someone looked at my portfolio and “helpfully” suggested that I shoot the before pictures from exactly the same angle as the after pictures, I explained I would certainly do that as soon as superman made himself available to reverse the spin of the earth and turn back time.
I’m here to report that I was in that backyard Susan shows us from 1985 and my brain cells simply won’t dredge up that image. The change IS simply amazing, and it’s the reason I always think of Susan as an artist, not a gardener. And Cindy MCOK wrote: “I’m sure your fashion choices have changed a great deal since 1985, too!” No, Cindy, I’m also here to report that Susan’s attire is pretty much exactly the same today as it was then and, goddamit, she looks the same. She’s truly Sustainable Susan.
Pam, who’s certainly changed less than I have, sure nailed my wardrobe. With the one change that my shorts aren’t that short anymore, I’ve been loyal to that look. And that budget.
What a wonderful comparison! Yes, I do wish that I had taken more “before” photos — especially from the same vantage point. I think I need to start putting Xs (earth friendly) on the ground to make the best photo spots.
Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Cameron
You always talk about your house as small, but it looks big from this view. And what a change! The deck and wall removal make an amazing difference and of course your plantings are impeccable
Wow, what a difference. That’s what a garden is all about, a work in progress. Beautiful.
I love before and after pictures. No matter how hard you try to remember the before you never can. Having your garden transformations documented is always a great thing to do. I love when I’ve forgotten the photos and run across them accidently – the difference is often remarkable.
Beautiful setting.
the only thing missing in the after picture is you, Susan! Seriously, I switched back and forth numerous times to try to spot anything that is in both shots! Now, that’s a transformation!
A+ for that work. Amasing what design and time can do to a property.
I’m happy that I last year started to take the before pictures – like all other “commenters” wish I had started when we bought the property 5 years ago.
Amazing! And I’m sure you have a lot more birds and butterflies as well. What a difference. (I personally like the orange shorts, black yoga pants are for wimps).
There’s nothing like before and after pix to help you viscerally understand just how far you’ve come. Gardening is so often done in incremental steps that we don’t always notice how those changes add up. Those two photos are great examples of design scaled to the building/site etc. The best thing we ever did was take lots of before photos; they help me keep going when I feel bogged down with a particular project. Hope you show some more pairs of pictures!
Hello Susan,
I am interested in using the before and after photos of your garden for our March 2010 issue for our nature group, Feathers 'n Petals. This is a non-profit venture. Articles are contributed by our readers. Please reply and give me permission to use your wonderful landscaping ideas for our gardeners. You will receive full credit in the e-mail edition. Thanks
Shirley M. Flanagan
shirleymflanagan@aol.com
Hello Susan,
Do you have a blog that describes the plants you used in the "after" photo?
Thanks.
Shirley
Comments on this entry are closed.