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karalynn_gw

Flowerbed overhaul in progress

KaraLynn
10 years ago

I've been working on overhauling the side flowerbed for a while now. At the start of the year the bed was overtaken by weeds, had a huge azalea that I really didn't like, and most of the edging was missing.

So far I've removed the azalea, cleaned up the weeds, added a bunch of new plants, and this past weekend pit in the new rock edging and mulched. Some of the new plants I added are a banana tree, yellow walking iris, variegated ginger, native false rosemary, 6 large bulbines that I got on clearance, several different color caladiums, cigar plant (cuphea), yellow rain lilies, butterfly ginger, a couple varietis of curcuma ginger, and hardy gloxinia.

The bed looks so much better now even though I still need to carry the new border around the crape myrtle and along the front bed. I just wanted to share my progress with all of you!

Comments (11)

  • KaraLynn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    And another picture.

  • KaraLynn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    One more

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    10 years ago

    What a lot of work! It's going to be gorgeous when it fills in.

  • User
    10 years ago

    I'd gladly come by and get rid of all those unsightly rocks and coquina........:). ........going to look nice!

  • KaraLynn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I love rocks and have been visiting constructions sites for years collecting as many as I can. The rocks I added to the border this morning are even bigger then the ones pictured above. I'm almost past the crape myrtle now and the only reason I stopped working was that it started pouring. Working through a little rain is fine, refresshing even, working through a downpour is not! I'll post some more pictures of the progress after I get some more plants in the ground and add the mulch.

  • morningloree
    10 years ago

    I am in the process of doing the same, your bed looks great.

  • Tom
    10 years ago

    The only rocks that I have are in my head.

    t looks like you have made significant progress, Karalyn. I think it will be beautiful.

    Isn't it great seeing things you have planted grow?

  • KaraLynn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I love seeing things that I've nutured grow and keeping track of all the changes that I make in my garden over time.

    My arms hurt so much today from all the rocks I moved this weekend but I made so much progress! With the size rocks that I'm now using I seriouly doubt that I will ever change the size and shape of this bed ever again. And later this year, possibly in the fall I'll be adding a strip of concrete along the rocks like I did on another bed.

    Here are some more pictures. The white 5 gallon bucket marks where I started work on saturday.

  • KaraLynn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's a closeup of the opening for the path back to the hosebib that's located behind the half wall. There was already a path there but I originally made it with smaller limestone rocks and it rather quickly disappeared into the mulch and plants. I'm redoing the path with larger fieldstone and making the path a little wider and raising it up some.

  • SusieQsie_Fla
    10 years ago

    Nice job, Kara!

    My arms hurt just looking at all those monster rocks. You sure are a strong girl for doing all that collecting and then putting them into place so accurately and with a pleasing curve.

    I always like looking at the pics of your progress in your gardens. You get some of the coolest plants, too. I'll be watching for more pics as they get filled in . . .

    Susie

  • KaraLynn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you, Susie! It's taken years of experience and a practiced eye to get the rocks to line up so neatly. Sometimes I will spend 5 to 10 minutes inspecting various rocks before deciding which one will be placed next and even then it might not work!

    I have to admit that I didn't collect all of those rocks by myself. My parents started me on the habit of stopping at construction sites looking for rocks when I was a teenager. Only then we were getting rocks for their garden. I have fond memories of me, my dad, brother, and sometimes sisters pilling into our extended cab ford pick-up and heading out to a stretch of road construction, laoding up enough rocks that the headlights would point up into the sky on our way home. After that truck was sold and replaced with a sienna van my parents got a hitch put on the van and then we went in together on buying a trailer. Getting the large rocks onto the trailer is so much easier then into the back of a pickup! Just lever the larger ones onto a heavy duty dolly and roll them up the back gate turned ramp!

    Between mine and my parents gardens (we're neighbors) there are now thousands of pounds of rock on property that when we bought it there wasn't a single rock to be found. Some of the rocks are so big that we had to use chains and a come-along to get them onto the trailer. We have enough rocks sitting out back in a holding area to open up a small rock yard!