Much much better Shelley, I always make my beds smaller at first too, minus well go big if you've got the room.

Good job,
Sharon

Thanks Sharon.
A day after I finished planting my last daylilies a horse got into it. He stepped on a few dayliles and one iris. He was also clawing with his hooves. I'm wondering if he was smelling the bonemeal. Luckily only 2 daylilies were broke off. They look like they are shooting up again. But boy was I PO.

Shelley

That looks great Shelley! Who needed all that grass anyway. That bad ole horse >:0( what a bummer.

My big project this spring is cleaning out all the gardens that were already here. There is some nice stuff in some of them but the previous owners did not believe in lawn edging and they are all full of quack grass and creeping blue bellflower. Like incredible amounts of bellflower, it's horrible. This is the only one I have remembered to take a 'before' pic of, they were all like this. I am going thru and manually weeding them out, edging them, and in some cases expanding them. They will be expanded more in later years when I get things under control.

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I have a few done already, I will post 'after' pictures soon.

You've got your work cut out for you Gillian! It'll be lots of work, but it'll look awesome when it's all done. Make sure to pat yourself on the back after!

Shelley, that bed looks so much better now! I mean at least before the horse got into it. I'd be PO'd too! Great job!

Looks great Shelley, can't wait to see how it fills out and looks over the summer. Hope you get lots of help with your gardening this summer Gill, your new home has great "bones" already and it will be nice to add your own touches to it.. We are enlarging the pond bed this year and connecting it to the next bed with landscaping pavers. the only other project will be taking down the old greenhouse and putting up a new and better version..lol...savona
May 11 2007
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Boy oh boy we are busy bees!

Here's what I've been working on since last year....

Once I get the quack grass under control, watch me plant!
From right to left, I want to plant Irises, Lilies, Daylilies, Dahlias, Peonies and own-root Roses in there.

I also want to plant more shrubs and trees on the sides.

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Future Field Grown Plants Project

Sharon you are a smrt cookie for getting rid of that quack grass first, before it gets in your irises and daylilies! That is a nightmare. I can't wait to see your fields when they are full of perennials :0D

Ok speaking of quack grass nightmares... here are some more before & afters. This one is supposed to be a rock garden - believe it or not there are several rocks in there. I think it will look nice cleaned up, but I'm going to have to take all the rocks out and put them back when I get the weeds out.
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Here are a couple of small ones that I have got done and edged. They were in the same condition as the others - it was a lot of work to pick the grass out of the peonies but I managed not to dig them up. (I built that fence all by myself last fall - if you look closely Luke is patrolling it)

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Today I dug/divided and replanted some Irises into the Field Project. Those Irises are only RHEIN NIXE and KING but I have many other Irises coming in shortly from Cedar Ridge, Snowpeak, Champmans and I'll probably order some from CWIS and NLIS when they have their Summer sales. Do you think I will have enough room? LOL

I hope I got all the quack grass out of there ;)

Sharon

NorthSpruce,

I commend you! Oh my goodness. I have tried for three years to get rid of the bellflower and some other gosh darn awful weed. You might remember me, I am in Selkirk.

Anyway, this year I finally succumbed to Round up. I tried the lasagna garden last year to no avail. It helped some, but not enough I am afraid. Sooooo...hopefully next year I will have a somewhat blanker canvas. Either that or gravel in my entire lawn. LOL.

Hey Skeevesgirl, I was wondering if you were still around. I guess I forgot to tell you that I moved to Selkirk! How exciting is that? LOL

I was thinking of joining the local Hort. Society. Are you in it, or do you know anyone in it? E-mail me if you want.

When I started posting here I had asked for ideas for building raised beds. Thanks for all the advice and ideas! These are what I ended up building. I did one last year and finished the second one this spring. I managed to use up a bunch of little pieces of scrap lumber, too, which was a bonus.
I planted bush beans in one last year and that worked well for easy covering and uncovering as well as for picking the beans because of its height. This year I planted herbs and orange gem marigolds in one and a bunch of leftover seedlings from WSing and starting inside in the other. The nasturtiums and marigolds have taken them over, though :) I have had floating row cover over the herb bed up until a week or so ago, and they have really enjoyed it...even the basil is growing!

Since the photo I've layed a thick layer of straw around them for a pathway and someday when I get another burst of expendable energy I'd like to make two more and create a sort of quadrant with some sort of a feature in the centre...maybe an obelisk or something.
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Well, we got one project almost finished this summer - the pond. We started with an old cistern, 6 X 8 X 6 feet deep, with a cement slab in front of it. We have a pond now that's about 4-5 feet deep, with a waterfall to the side and a stream in front of the pond (running over the cement slab). I need to decide on the final size of the planting area around the pond, and put in lawn edging. The waterfall may get revised somewhat. To me it looks too straight - not a really natural look to it. Next project - the patio I hope.

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Connie

Connie, I like your little water fountain in the center of the pond. Looks like you have put a lot of work into it. Looking good! The fence is for... to keep the kids out??

Brenda

Our kids are old enough to be safe, but it's the nieces & nephews, and the critters we worry about. We had it about half full when we lost a kitten in it - it ran across the yard in the dark and fell in. Our dog loves to swim - he has his own bathtub. It won't keep him out, but hopefully it will discourage him a bit, and we're hoping, now that it's done, that he can climb out if he jumps in. We need to put up a sturdier fence. DH has visions of cows falling in and breaking their legs. I told him if he would just put up the fence at the edge of the yard, they wouldn't tromp on my lawn - but no luck yet. Like I said, I'm not entirely happy with the waterfall yet, but it's not permanent - we just used an old waterbed mattress for that section - so it can be changed. The design was definitely dictated by where the cement was, plus having to leave room for the tractor to get through, just in case, plus what the kids wanted. You may notice that all the rocks on the sides of the waterfall are the same size - that's my middle DS. "Random" is not a word that suits him. I'm hoping it evolves into a more natural look as I find more rocks that I like.
Connie

It does look a little square, Connie, but i'm sure that as the plantings fill in it will look more natural. It's a nice size, though. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of it next summer. :)

Looks good Connie, I love all your rocks!!! You're going to have some happy frogs come next year ;)

Yes, that's a nice collection of rocks, for sure. I can empathize with your son - I struggle with 'random', too. And my DH, bless his little military heart, sees a row of rocks and has a desire to paint them all white!

Your pond looks great and I'm sure it will come into its own once plants grow & spread.

It's going to look awesome once those plants get a year or two of growth on them Connie! Do you have any plans for fish in there?

Looks great, Connie! Looks like you put in alot of effort and its going to look even better when the plants fill in. I bet you won't even notice what bothers you now.
You know, rivers sort out rocks into like sizes...so it can be natural too :)

RE: animal safety....What about a large rock or something in the centre that if an animal got in it could easily climb out onto? I have to remember to throw floaters (usually just a wooden plank)in my rainbarrel and water troughs. The birds like to drink from them because we don't have a natural source of water close by.

The cat seems to like the challenge of drinking from the rainbarrel rather than the water dish sitting beside it :( I ended up putting a heavier plank all the way in the barrel like a ladder.
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My rain barrel has a screen on top - keeps out bugs, birds AND cats! :)

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I'm just so happy to have a project actually - almost - completed.
We do have fish in it already, Laurie, although they hide. We moved 5 up from the little pond in the garden, and added another 20 or so feeder goldfish. We're going to try and winter them over outside, so we'll se how that goes.
I hope the critters will be able to get out safely now, since there's a ledge around the edge on three sides, where the liner comes up over the edges of the cistern. At least with the fence, they can't fall in during the night - they have to get in there on purpose. I want to change the fence over to a (hopefully) more artistic one made of branches, with just a bit of the stucco wire on the bottom to keep dumb little kittens out.

Connie

Over the past year or so I have been lurking and occasionally posting, as I have been planning our landscaping. I thought now that it is mostly finished I would post some before and after pictures. I can't wait until all the small shrubs start filling in - but I am very pleased with how things have turned out. I must say my husband has been wonderful with all the projects that we have done over the past couple of years - all while trying to supervise our girls who are just now 3 and 4 1/2!
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If you click on the picture it will bring you to my web album with the rest of the progress.

Thanks for looking!

Janet

Connie, come spring, you'll have to let me know how the fish faired over winter. With it being 6 feet deep, you'll have a good chance that they'll survive. I threw in some feeder goldfish this year into our dugout. They were pretty tiny when I put them in, and we haven't seen them since, so I have no idea if they're even still in there. They were for mosquito control initially, but maybe in a couple of years, the boys can do some fishin'!lol

Janet, you and your hubby have certainly done a pile of work there, and it looks wonderful! In a couple of years, when it all fills in, it will be even better. The hard part will be having the patience to sit back and wait for it......that was always the tough part for me anyway.;0)

Well, since we're sharing pictures here, I'll throw in my little project too.

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Not a big flowerbed by any means, but I just wanted to pretty up the garden shed a bit. I planted a Prairie Traveller's Joy clematis on the left side of the shed, so in a couple of years it should cover the shed nicely. Next years project will be filling in the area to the left of this picture with perennials. This'll also be the area where I'll grow out my daylily seedlings too.

Laurie

Janet, lookin' good! I like how you've shaped your yard to lead to the seating area. I can taste the margaritas already ;)

A screen's a great idea, Marcia. For keeping out mosquito larva too. My cat has window screen issues though (no respect!), so maybe some sort of light metal grating would work in my case...next year.

I really like your round wood steps, Laurie. I've been pondering the idea, too. I think it would be easier on the back than moving rocks around. How thick did you cut yours?

Yes, the wooden circles are much lighter to work with. These were cut about 5" thick, so I'm hoping that they'll last for quite a few years before they have to be replaced. Another good thing about them is that they're free, as long as you don't have to go out and buy a chainsaw that is.;0)

'Free' is also assuming that you are willing to use a chainsaw or pursuade your husband to use his to make some circles for you....also assuming that there are trees around that you can cut up. Like Laurie's husband, mine also made some wooden tree circles for me to use in my landscaping beds around the greenhouse. The only drawback is that they will start to decay in a few years and then it is either replacing them or just letting them totally disappear. I am still not sure what I will do.

My projects this year have included adding perennials into the existing flowerbeds...

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Notice the tree circles used for the path.

The kidney shaped flowerbed that I added daylilies and irises to last summer has started to fill out and 2 of the daylilies bloomed this year. I also covered it with flax to help with the moisture and keep the annual weeds down.

last year...

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July 2007

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I have also been working on a new area that used to be a holding garden. It was overgrown with grass (brought in by perennials given to me by a neighbor). Here is a sampling of the area I am filling in. I am mulching with flax as I plant it up.

Here are some of the perennials still to plant at the end of August 2007...

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Some of the plants on the ground ready to be planted into the 'trellis' bed. Notice the straight path right across the garden...it is for the dogs 'cause they take the shortest path across the garden when they are going through it.

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Notice the grass in the background to get rid of this fall so that that area can also be landscaped.

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Perennials ready to be planted..

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This part of the 'trellis' bed is done...

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Brenda

The one project I was desperate to get finsihed this year was the new green house to replace the sway backed old girl I had. What a relief to get it locked up before winter.It is 14 X 24..our neighbor put in new windows in their moble home and gave us the old windows which was a big bonus, there was enough to do one of the 24 foot walls. we used polycarbonate for the roof.We had a hodge podge of windows for the front and back wall and finished the rest of the wall with polycarbonate..the long wall on the north west side had to have double plastic this year. We bought an outside wood furnace so the big wood heater from the house is now in the greenhouse..its nice to work in shirt sleeves in there. We are just getting the seeding benches and tables built now.
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savona

Looks great Savona! How large was the old greenhouse compared to this new 'deluxe' model? Will you be installing a fan in there also? I can't imagine how many plants you could start and work with each spring. Wow!! I am sure you will enjoy it, I know I sure would.

Brenda

Wow, Savona - that looks great! My kingdom for... :) Looking forward to seeing it full of blooms in the spring!

I had more time today to let my pokey dial up load the pictures everyone has posted.
Connie I have pond envy, maybe some day my pond will grow up and be a big one..lol...Its a treat to see what everyone else is doing in their gardens.
Brenda the old green house was only 12.5 x 15 feet. I thought I wanted the rafters lower so I could reach the hanging baskets..wrong..by the time the baskets could be hung out they were smothering anything in flats below them. my old greenhouse had a small wood heater in it but I had to make a 3 am trip out there to feed the heater..the bigger wood heater from the house will keep all night.I will have to place a fan near the roof pointing downward to move the warm air down to where I need it..we are hoping to put in a radiator from the outside wood furnace next year.

That's one awesome looking greenhouse Savona! I'm sure it's a big relief for you to have it up and running for this spring. And how nice will that be to be able to work in short sleeves as well. Job well done!

WOW! You people don't do things by half measures! What wonderful & ambitious projects. If anyone has some enthusiasm left over, send it my way would ya?

I was happy to finally get this water conservation measure in place before winter. We have one of those 'flow through' humidifiers on our furnace. It just made me sad to see all that water running directly down the drain so I came up with this little contraption to catch at least some of it. I'll use it to water my indoor plants throughout the winter (although it will catch more water than I can possibly use, maybe I need more plants!). :) Come early spring it will be handy for watering the seedlings I'll start in the basement.

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Great idea for the pail! May as well use the water for something!

We have a dehumidifier for the basement. I wonder whether your pail will slowly do what my dehumidifier container does...when I forget about it, it gets a slimy film on the sides and bottom over time.

So, why don't you just wash out/rinse with a chorine sol'n once every month or so, to avoid the 'slime'?

Brenda

I'm hoping that the water will have enough 'turn-over' that it won't get manky, will have to keep an eye on it. I was really surprised to see how quickly the pail fills up, that sure is a LOT of water just pouring down the drain.

How much water does your dehumidifier produce? I can't get my head around the idea of 'de'humidifying. We'd dry to a crisp and blow away in the Chinook winds if we didn't have a humidifier! :)

Great looking projects here!

>>We have one of those 'flow through' humidifiers on our furnace.I have a question, why you're heaving water come out when you need to put water into the air?

We used to have a system, it didn't really work, so we put a separate humidifier up, well, it fogged up the windows a bit
and didn't really make a difference so now we're without it for about 20 years.
Konrad

The dehumidifier rarely goes on in the winter because the furnace and the fireplace are constantly going. But in summer, with the humidity and doors and windows open more often, we probably empty the 4 gallon reservior about once a week, sometimes more frequently. We always leave it plugged in and at a certain level of humidity and it turns on automatically when need be.

Plus, we leave it almost against the wall, if we don't the cat manouvers the water reservior enough so she can drink out of it and then the humidifier turns off because the reservior is out of its spot.

Brenda

My project isn't as grand as everyone else's. I started this in the fall and will probably add more compost when it is available in the spring. I'm planning to plant bergenia, solomon's seal, hostas and lamium in this bed. DH is happy he'll no longer have to manoeuvre the lawnmower around the shrubs in there.

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Your projects all look great.

North your new garden bed, looks very nice. That will look great once everything is planted and growing. Lots of work.

Sierra