Okay, you’ve asked to see more, so here’s my back garden at its most colorful. Old-timers might suggest that spring isn’t the most interesting time in the garden, and I see the point. But after winter don’t we deserve a big jolt of color? Sure we do, even if it’s azaleas at their gawdiest.
Now a little garden history. None of this was here in 1985, just jungle in front of the tall trees. And where the border on the left now exists was a large gully that needed filling in.
So I cleared the jungle, contacted a local nursery for their free-design-with-plants, and did exactly what the designer told me to do – and never regretted it. Hell, I’m still thanking the now nameless and faceless young woman who created the garden’s first shape, with its inviting path into the woods. Though the borders have gradually gotten larger and the lawn smaller over the years, the spirit of the original design lasts. I added the drystream four years ago and now it’s so integral to the feel of the space, I can’t remember it not being there.
I’ll be sharing lots of ground views and plant close-ups throughout the season. Pretty soon I won’t remember the bad old days of having no one to share my garden photos with.
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Gorgeous, just absolutely gorgeous! We are in the process of installing a new large bed in the front yard and the thoughts in my head of what to plant are overwhelming…just wishing we had a local nursery with that sort of program “free design.” Anyway, I’m jealous!
Your garden looks wonderful! Keep the pictures coming.
I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to see Susan’s garden whenever I like. I’ve known her for 24 yrs and live a few miles away. I can tell you that her garden is truly stunning. As you walk down the path she’s created, and get deeper and deeper into those woods, you discover one more beautiful array of shrubs and plants after another. And the sheer volume of work continues to astound me. Glad she’s going to show us more pictures!
Do you have some kind of a sketch or plan? How big of a place are we talking about here? Neighbors on all sides, or does your place sort of ramble off into the woods?
First in response to Pam, who I’m considering hiring to do all my PR from now on, she’s too kind. On top of encouragement like this, she’s my volunteer copy editor for anything I write for print. So I get the benefit of her 30+ years experience as a writer/editor – gratis, plus routine cheerleading in all my endeavors. So a wonderful friend.
To Amy, a new friend, I’m on the edge of a wooded valley, so there are neighbors on each side but the houses in back of me are far away on the other edge of the valley. And since you’re the second person to ask about size (Val in Victoria – I haven’t forgotten you!) I’ll do some measuring and report back.
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