This is the obligatory front corner photo. It has changed so much over the years...and is now home to a nice Reeves Spirea given to me by a friend (who also gave me many shrub roses) in the neighborhood who has since passed away. I need to go to his place and save some more things, I can just never find the executor of his estate in.

When we moved in, there was a walking smack against the front screen porch. Nothing could be planted next to the house, and it was very boring looking. There was no way one could integrate the house and garden (OK, I admit I am still struggling in this area). We faced the stairs with some flat stone, then stacked stone and filled the walkway with some old concrete rubble (but we left the walkway there, and built out a bit to mimic more of the steps area...and eventually that all disappeared! Now I grow shallow rooted plants here, and this little Santa Barbara daisy is my favorite. I'd love to have it in every nook of the garden but so far it's not taken to other places. It really loves the stones and any crannies it can find.

The mailbox needed some new spring fashion, and I heard polka dots were all the rage...this is the first time the bottom has been anything but white! Do you see behind the mailbox? I had a most lovely Dianna Rose Of Sharon that I loved. It suddenly just up and died one day, and I can not for the life of me get her tree stake out!! This year the City workers kept poking around in that garden for some reason while fixing my neighbors plumbing (they had no reason to poke or go in there) and have really made a mess. They removed 3/4 of the plants and the good soil and HAULED IT OFF! Clearly it was going to someone's home garden. I was livid. Since that time I've raised a fuss but there is no way anything will be done. Hopefully they will make a city workers garden prettier and his family happier.

My friend who passed away told me this is Russels Cottage Rose. Clearly it is not. I have no idea what on earth it is, but it is an antique rose shrub without scent but with beautiful flowers all summer. I adore it!
This little fellow is one of the Easy roses...I have Easy Living and Living Easy both from a GW friend who used to come to our plant trades here. For some reason they grow only a foot tall for me, and bloom just a few times a year. Odd, isn't it. Someday this one will once again need a new home (I thought it would reach it's full 4' here, someday....).

This year I fertilized the irises. They are very thankful!

Anyone else in their right mind would be SICK to death of chard right now. We've eaten it 1-2 meals a day for at least 3 months straight. Looks like we have another few weeks before freezing the rest.
Strawberries work well when fertilized at the same time as roses and irises! Who knew? There are TONS and tons of berries forming!
Here's the main garden. Spring is it's peak, with the lime green of the maple and the dark red buds of the Smoke Bush, this is one of my biggest design successes! We see this right from the porch. Currently everything is perfect from the porch: the balance of colors and the balance of shapes. I wish it could stay like this...but it's the garden!

We've been eating chard a couple times a week all winter/spring. I don't think I could handle every day. ;)

I also love all the landscaping you've done with rocks.

Didn't you say you lived in the city? (Maybe I'm just confused, that happens a lot, LOL.) Your main garden looks like it's way out in the mountains or something. It's beautiful.

How long ago did you put down those stone pathways? Do you have to refresh the stones in them every year?

Annette

As much chard as you need individual leaves. For every 70 leaves you need a full cup of the raw rice.

1 cup uncooked brown sushi (sticky) rice or shortgrain brown rice (needs to be short grain, and sticky is best). Cooked until well done (do not rinse first, let it go sticky)
1/2 c. miso mayo (my mayo of choice, but I'm sure you can use regular mayo
4 leeks or an onion sliced
olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
4 larger sized radishes finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
6 bite sized pieces of 9 day pickles (I think 3 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish would substitute nicely)
Seasoned vinegar: I make my own herbal vinegars but a seasoned rice vinegar to taste will work. Probably 2 tablespoons
salt
pepper
assorted chopped herbs of your choice: 4 tablespoons

Cut the swiss chard stems off of the leaves, cut down a bit to get all the firmest part cut away from the leave but leave the leaf intact. Chop finely.

Saute the onion or leek and swiss chard stems until soft. Add finely chopped nuts, pickles, radish, carrot in a bowl to cool. Add in the fully cooked rice and herbs. Mix together well. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the miso mayo and stir - season to taste. I found I needed some raw garlic, just a small amount for some kick. This will seem very strongly flavored, and it needs to be to compete with raw chard.

Add a dollop of the mix on each clean and dry chard leaf. Wrap in a bundle and secure with a tooth pick. I make each one into a two bite size.

Rave reviews, now my fave!! I'm in the process of removing the old garden, ammending soil to plant so the veggie garden is not so pretty but you can see it with last years photos: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v192/girlgroupgirl/2010/