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girlgroupgirl

Last couple of days: hard at work!!

girlgroupgirl
12 years ago

For some months this year I had been unable to do any outdoor work due to severe abdominal pain. Medical specialists could not figure out what was wrong, but thankfully an alternative therapist figured out possible problems and offered solutions. IT WORKED (so far!!!) and I'm back on track!

This week, it was FINALLY getting the stone circle garden in order. I've been planning this since before the tornado, when I was trying to fix the drainage problems here and get rid of the horrible "tree of heaven". We're getting there now!!

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To the left of the photo are some fruit trees (still small) and the sidewalk. A new fence will be going in very soon there. The space between the mini rock walls and those shrubs will have red camellias. My neighbors planted an oak tree right there near their shrubs. Bad for them in a few years...great for me!!! There will be room in front of the camellias for some sort of food plants and/or herbs. To the back right, where the dirt pile is I want one of the fig trees. It will be beautiful there and will shade a bed of perennial onions, nicely. Behind the fig will eventually be a line of american plumbs (That's my choice for the living fence of doom....) I'm not sure what I will put along the side of the fig tree...it will probably be fruits of some sort. Blueberries perhaps (because I do have those now).

The very center circle I have NO IDEA what I will put in there! Originally I thought strawberries but no I do not think that will work (to hard to pick them). Perhaps a rose on a pole...I now want something CRAZY tall and fun. I really want a big pole and a metal basket on top to hold my bowling ball. I saw someone make an arbor like that on the junk forum once and I fell in love because it was kind of nutty.

There are 4 low beds for vegetables, perhaps perennial vegetables like asparagus in one...it is divided into 4 because I have permiculture folks helping me out and frankly I need to read up more about those 4 quadrants. This year they will probably have some southern peas or something that will fix the nitrogen and do other great things (yarrow).

Between every piece of giant cement will be thymes. The rose arches from the other side of the garden will eventually come over and more will be added so you'll be able to walk under a series of at least 8 arches, I think, along this walk. I purchased a beautiful arch from a friend who no longer needed it...I'm planning on installing that soon.

And...I finally think I may REALLY have someone who will "do" my back yard. A neighbor!! He owns a cement pouring business and has been dealing with new drainage rules (good ones) in a neighboring county and has access to more of that great free "stone" I love!!

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Here's a photo today of the garden, taken from the stone circle. My new goal is to replace all of those wooden beds with interesting shaped concrete stacked stone raised beds for the veggies...maybe in the fall?! Please excuse the bags of amendments and mulch. I had to move them into the area because I have a HUGE truck load of compost coming on Friday for the new garden (and some new ones around the purple house too!!!)

Comments (10)

  • organic_kitten
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love your purple fence! The roses are beautiful too and full of blooms.. The rocks are lovely...I can't wait to see how everything turns out.
    kay

  • plantmaven
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Several years ago someone had an old or old looking pillar with a basket of flowers on top. It was so pretty, but I could not figure out how I could keep one watered here.

    Lookin' good girly girl. glad you ar doing better.

    Kathy

  • natalie4b
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    GGG, what a great layout of stones for the circle garden. Love the raised beds and roses - your garden is beautiful!
    Glad you feel better. Alternative medicine rocks!

  • girlgroupgirl
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The new fence on this side (vegetable garden side) will be "hot plum" (the bottom color on the pink house)...it make me giggle.
    MaryLou has the pillar with the flower basket. She must have the worlds longest watering wand :)

  • Calamity_J
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for posting! I am wanting to remember to take "before" pics of my yard, i just realized I want to redo pretty well every sq inch of the yard!ha! Is that a purple rain barrel I see??!!!! I LOVE your Stone Circle Garden already!!! Glad you are doing better! I am getting over being sick too, and if it ever stops raining/hailing/snowing here...I'll get out in the yard. I just can't believe the weather..grrr.

  • Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your garden is so delightful! And the circle garden is a great idea. I love your use of color! I wish i had the courage to just go crazy! (not that u are crayz, u know what i mean!! ) Id love to paint my fence a pale sage. I think its awesome you recycle old concrete for your beds. And im glad you are feeling better. Noone likes to be sick!

  • trailrunner
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW>...you have such great plans and so much initiative. I love your purple..but you know how crazy I am about that color :) I wish I had the nerve to paint my picket that pretty color...c

  • mary_lu_gw
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    GGG....so very glad that you are feeling better and that you can again enjoy being and working outside. Your yard is looking lovely and I can hardly wait to see your new area completed. It too will be lovely! Looks great already!!

    No, my watering wand is only regular length. :-) I just stretch a little?

  • girlgroupgirl
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You know, I like purchased stone - real stone...I bought some Pennsylvania field stone a long time ago because it has a purple cast to it. I really love it in the front garden (mixed there with the concrete). However, FREE broken concrete is about $500 a few tons cheaper. And I need cheaper after the mess of this back yard and having to completely re-do it again.
    I love purple. Yes, I'm painting the rain barrels purple and am contemplating at some point painting the house next door similar colors to ours. I think I can manage most of it on my own. Then the rain barrels will really blend in. We only need them for "so" long, because eventually I want to use Rain Pillows that fit under crawlspaces in the house. So we'll have so much re-usable water, able to collect almost everything that comes onto the house in a storm and much of what runs onto the property in a good rain.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    GGG, glad to hear you're feeling better. Your plans for the circle garden sound great. WOO HOO!! Free stone!!!

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