I sat through the slide show twice. You have a beautiful property, love everything in your gardens. The sink is to die for, if only I had someplace for that! Thank you for sharing.

Love that sink, and ADORE the paving in front of it. I would love to create something like that.

Lois in PA

Really nice,I love it!
tanya

What a great job you have done! I also love that sink and the patio. Is that what they call a "crazy quilt" design? Did you put it in yourself? Have to say I am sooooo envious of that stunning blue Agave you have.
Thanks for the pics!
CMK

I put it on slideshow and watched repeatedly while I ate my breakfast this morning. Lovely!! Everything is so lush. You do a great job of having lots of vertical elements, so plantings are grabbing my eye at all different levels. Your patio and path paving is very artistic, really adds interest at ground level. Fantastic job!

Your gardens are sensational and inspirational. Makes me want to start all over again with my own!

It was a joy to view your slideshow. Beautiful and inspiring. Fencing is needed for privacy and security, and I absolutely love how you hide and blended your stockade fence with plant material. In the area where I live there are many new developments where they use a different type of stockade fence in every yard without a plant to be found. It's a sight to behold.

Renee, I read the follow-ups before looking at the pics, thinking that probably our dear cottagers were exaggerating a bit in their generous and friendly way. They were NOT! You've created a lush and absolutely beautiful garden. Outstanding job!

Thanks for sharing.

Thinman

Rene, Everything Gottagarden said and more! The sheer number of plant varieties in addition to the incredibly artistic design is amazing. I love all the winding pathways that continually draw one in, begging one to want to keep going and going. Fabulous!

MeMo

Your gardens are stunning! It's funny to see some of the plants I grow along side plants that would not survive here. I love your vertical plants and all the different colors. Thanks for sharing.

Looks GREAT Renee.I also put it on slideshow and slowed it down,so i could have a better view.You done good girl!!!TFS
Kathi

So pretty! I think my favorite is the old pepper tree! I also love the tiny little groundcover between the pavers. I probably enjoy that most because I have this ongoing battle with my grass. :-/

Renee, You have so many interesting elements in your garden and it is glorious in all seasons! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos! I really liked that you took the time to write captions on each of them.

Gee, you guys are just encouraging me. Thank you. Don't you think there's too much lawn? :)

The 'rubble patio' was a convenient way to get rid of flagstone scraps, spare bricks, and to cover two old shed slabs and a 55 gallon drum septic tank with a concrete cap (ew). Mike and I always had leftover cement, so he built a form and we started making pavers embedded with junk. Friends started dropping off their scrap brick pieces and broken concrete and pretty soon we had enough material for a patio. Every evening while Mike read his book I would smooth out some sand and lay out a 'cell' or two. It took a summer of leisurely labor. It's our favorite place to sit.

Renee

Beautiful gardens...so lush and green! I don't think you have too much lawn, but I like grass around garden beds. It's so cool and relaxing :)

Magical! I love the combination of textures and foliage colors. I, too, am envious of the blue agave, but in zone 7 it's no dice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54573258@N05

So wonderful the way you move from area to area. and that rubble patio...the paths. It is all such a work of art and a testament to your great eye. c

So beautiful!!

I just love your garden hosenemesis! Everything about it is so perfect!

Just beautiful! I've admired your "rubble" patio from some of your other posts. I wondered how you got it so even and now I know the trick is using a concrete form. My attempt last spring to copy your design looks lumpy and uneven but now I know how to fix it. Thanks for the tip!

Bouquet, the forms were made for the individual concrete pavers with the doodads embedded in them.

The whole thing is planted in sand, and I used a board to "level" it, sort of. The edges are also set into concrete so everything will stay put.

There was much pulling back up, piling in more sand, and tapping back down involved.

I would love to see a photo of your patio.
Renee

Renee,
Your garden photos are always lovely, and these are surely no exception. What kind of critter dares to dig in your garden? That picture looked a lot like some of mine, and my Final touch daylily was killed by the dirty little so-and sos.

My varmints are voles.
kay

Gophers, Kay.
Big, fat, sleek gophers with the Protestant work ethic and Rabelaisian appetites. Sly, intelligent gophers that use their cashew-sized brains to outwit me.

I thought voles were pointy-nosed mice. I'm going to look up voles on google.
Renee