I am so excited for you and can't wait to follow your photo journal through your project.

How fun! I love new gardens and this one sounds like it's going to be beautiful :)

Can we see pictures of what it looks like now? Pink and white water lilies in the fish pond...how lovely that will be!

Hey! We need some "before" pictures taken and posted now, so that we can see, in our mind, what you are doing as you go along....

A challenge, but I know you'll accomplish it. Hope you don't lose too much of your Tasha Tudor atmosphere tho, I like that about your place.

Tasha Tudor's influence will still be alive and well in my gardens, just this one area in the central part will be "more" formal ;)
I want it to have a Formal Garden focal point and then everything will remain the Country Cottage Garden, although I will move a few things around.

Pic #1 - Patio view (Nov. 2010).

Pic #2 - Same area, slightly different angle (May 2011).

Pic #3 - different angle of same area - (July 2011)

Posting Pics #1-#4 to show the different plants of each season.

Pic #4 - (Aug. 2011)

We just got home from a two-night, back-to-back band gig at 3:45 this morning. I HAD to take a shower to rid myself of the stench of the bar, so decided to post this while my hair dried. It's still damp, but I'm going to bed now. I'm exhausted! Hope to sleep in late...

Will add the beginning reconstruction images later today that I took on Friday.

#1. Removal and reposition of existing plants

In my zeal, I forgot to take beginning pics of the piles of clippings and etc. that I removed to the burn-pile - oops! It was immense! Three wheelbarrows full and piled high. I was trying to beat the rain that was about to hit and had to hurry to get ready to go to the Gig up in Ponca City. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Pic #2. The new path to the top tier

Pic #3. Showing the top where I removed perennial flowers and irises and replanted two of the Boxwood shrubs.

Pic #4. Top of new path

Pic #5. Looking down the new path to back door and patio.

Pic #6. Side view of the Boxwood shrubs at the top.

The Daylilies will be dug this spring and planted around the pond, bordered by clipped dwarf Boxwood and bricks.

There will be a walking path encircling the pond and hopefully garden bench(es) - eventually. The clothesline post will be removed and the path will continue from the pond, straight up to the big grassy area in back.

Paths will be brick, or brick set in river rock pea gravel. Have to see how far the bricks go.
I don't want to use mulch for paving anymore because my little hens scratch in it and make a mess searching for bugs. :)

The biggest expense will be the cost of the pond. I am buying a 300 gallon Stock Pond from the ranch supply store. It is made of black rubber, by "RubberMade". It will last and last. It won't breakdown from sun exposure, freezing and thawing action, or crack like the "fancy" pre-fab black plastic ponds that cost an arm and a leg, sold at Lowe's or Home Depot, & etc. Also, if snakes invade the pond, I can shoot them with my pellet rifle and not worry about possibly doing damage to the pond, if by chance I do miss my target - not likely, but sheet happens.

I am contemplating building two stately pillars (rock or brick) in the center of the path...still studying that idea.
Would like to have concrete urns set on top of each containing ornamental grasses. I want year-round interest.

The plants at the bottom of the terraces in the little patio garden will be removed & relocated. It will be completely paved in a circular pattern of brick. I originally built the terraces using wooden landscape timbers. The wood slowly rotted away over the years with the help of termites, and the soil began to erode down the bank stealing the patio area space. The terraces will be redefined with quarry rock and soil shoveled back back up into each, reclaiming my once large patio area at the base of the terraces. The path there will need to be dug out in places and reset fitting into the new formal design. The re-terracing and re-vamped patio areas may turn out to be the biggest part and the hardest part of the whole project!

Positioning of plants and new additions will be added if and when needed to keep the symmetry.

Enough work to keep me busy for awhile, anywho.

~Annie

Looks like a lot of work but oh how worth it it will be. You are very creative. Love it.

You sure have a lot of energy! I hope you have nice weather this fall/winter which will allow you to continue working and get a head start on next year.
Your plans sound terrific!

Sounds great. You on speed or something? haha
Would you like a week or so vacation in San Antonio?
Years ago Coop said, "you will catch a cold if you go to bed with your hair wet". I asked if he ever went to bed with his hair wet and did he catch a cold. He laughed and said, "so much for old wives tales".

I'm going to TRY to upload the series of projects and data to my PhotoBucket account, if it will let me. It has been balking and stalling out during uploads, but I'll try it again. It will make it easier for me and everyone else to view images and follow my project, especially those on here with computers not compatible for viewing big images.

Many Heartfelt Thanks to everyone for the positive comments. I don't get much recognition for anything I do from my family, so it means a lot to me. (sob, sob) Thanks for always being here for me. XXXOOO.
~Annie

I posted pics of the project in my Photobucket.
Shows pics of some of the materials and various angles to study for construction.

The big concrete culvert is going to become a small lily pond in the small Japanese Garden that I built by the patio.
But, that's another project in the works. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: New Formal Cottage Garden

Oh wow! I'm really enjoying this thread. I can't wait for you to continue your progress reports. What a lot of beautiful hardscape materials you have!

This afternoon, I got a lot of work done. Tomorrow I'll take new photos and post them to show my progress. It is looking so good! :)
~Annie

This Is really exciting!!! And now I'm curious about the band gig. You're in a band?

The winter storm that has been pounding the West Coast and dumping mega-snow in the Southwest is moving into our area now. We are having thunderstorms and lots of rain. Hopefully the cold stuff and snow stays north of here. It is expected to hit Illinois and Ohio and the rest of the Midwest big time. I saw that Ohio is getting flooding. Hope everyone up that way is high and dry from this mess.

Cracking-the-concrete,
Yes, we have a rock band. Play oldies and new stuff too. Over 80 cover-tunes and 15+ originals. Very eclectic assortment of music. Something for everyone. We have a Gig tonight up in Ponca City. It's a lot of fun and we have a good following all over the state. No one else does the old stuff and we pack the house wherever we play. We enjoy the crowds and we don't trash the place like most of the other bands do and we are polite. Everyone remarks about that too. :)

I just hope the roads don't ice up. Ponca City is in the northern part of the state and subject to get more of the cold nasty weather than we do here in Central Oklahoma. We won't finish up, tear down and pack up the trailer until around 3 in the morning. Then the long road home in those wee hours of the morning. I hope the roads aren't slippery. Gads.

Happy to have gotten a little more done in the garden two days ago. It was good timing to move plants before the rains came. Things will continue to be changed, but the rest of the project work will have to wait until next Spring.

I can't seem to make it look as formal as I had envisioned. It's still "rustic" looking. What does that say about me, I wonder? (ha ha ha) Well, it goes better with my humble little country cottage anyway, and I like the semi-formal look it is taking on. Still, it will have better form and more interesting year around appeal, I hope.

Time to go jump in the shower and get ready to go. We have to leave here by 3 to get up to Ponca by 5, set up the equipment, the lights and etc., tune up and then grab a bite to eat before the show begins at 9. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Hope this finds everyone safe and content.

Love & Peace.
~Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: New pics added on Dec. 2nd

Annie- Beautiful photos!

I've noticed that although my plants are fairly 'rustic' the arches and other wrought iron structures, seems to make the garden feel a little more formal. My favorite design seems to fall between formal and informal...casual, but elegant...at least that's what I'm hoping to end up with :)

Hope your weather stays nice and enjoy the holidays!

Lot of work. I need to get busy on my own beds. Wet heavy snow did a job on some last year.Nice pictures.Will keep trying to post some.

Annie, it is a pleasure to watch the progress on your garden. I think that even though you say that your garden remains somewhat informal, the formal structure you are adding will bring you great satisfaction. Think of abundance contained in structure.

Rosefolly

Annie ~ I'm sure your new formal garden will be lovely surrounded by your cottage gardens. I've always been inspired by your gardens.

Enjoy the process.

Have a lovely Christmas and a great 2012.

FlowerLady

Here is a link that might be useful: FlowerLady's Musings