Before and after Garden pics.....

i forgot to mention, that i am working on a window box for that antique window.. i may stick a clematis in it.. along with other flowers... (: i have the wood sitting outside...it should look really nice once i get it up...(:

Sweet!

hi all, havent sent pics for a while but thought i would post at least the progression of the cobblestone , i brought it around the other side of the island in the hammock garden.. and filled it for now with some top soil... i want to get the potting soil for the cracks but already i have some type of ground cover growing in the cracks.. i have no idea where it came from.. anyway here is the pic...

CiCi I have thoroughly enjoyed your before and after pictures. You have done an amazing amount of work. I moved to this place 9 years ago and did the same thing you have done took a lot of before and after photos. There was nothing here but sagebrush and grass. You will be very glad you took all the photos. love your cobblestone areas. have you started on your house. Your little shed is very attractive now. One thing CiCi I think the Golden Chain trees are Laburnum. I had several of them at my other place. Donna

I put in a large lasagna bed in my back yard last fall. It is about 225 long and runs 8 to 10 feet wide on average. I made a beginner mistake, as you will see below, by mounding all the materials around my mature oak trees. I was told my DG members that this could smother the roots. So after this picture was taken, I had the unfortunate task of raking most ofl the soil back away from the trees. I wanted to keep the level uniform but allow air to the roots so I piled wood mulch this spring deeper around the trees and planted things in sunken pots around the bases of the trees.

Anyway, here is how it looked at the beginning.

Here is how it looks today.

Here's another before view followed by an after view from the same angle.

Here's the after photo, which I took today. By the way, the before photos were taken last October.

Here's my arbor made from rebar that my uncle and cousin made for me last fall. I am trying to train the black eyed susan to climb it but it is slow going. Not enough sun I think.

Here is my fountain. The container is a large cast iron hog kettle that my father had traded corn for about 30 years or so ago. He gave it to me so that I could have this fountain. I just love it and the sound of trickling water is so soothing.

I am trying brugmansias for the first time this year. Here is a photo of one I have in a large pot along with some alliums planted nearby.

I live in a field stone house in mid-Michigan. When I saw this stone toad house, I just had to have it!

My delphiniums and beardtongue are in bloom. I love this tall planter that I got from a local greenhouse.

A closer view of the basket in the tall planter.

Beautiful job, beardtongue!!! I've got space envy!!! To have a single bed that is so huge would be a dream!!! You've done a very nice job in such a short time.

Fabulous..Love the toad house..I can see why you would want it badly!
I remember the thread when you were advised to pull the earth away form the base of the trees.

Stunning idea for the hanging basket up high..really makes a focal point.

I can see a lot of love and planning went into this garden..
...not to mention money LOL.

It is so beautiful...must be such fun to meander around ..seeing how your babies are growing.

Cheers to you...
Carol

Brenda and Carol, thank you for your kind comments. Yes, it has been a real labor of love. And a real hit to my wallet! But I look at it as an investment. I know that I will get many returns! I so enjoy working in this garden. When I come home from work, it is the first place I go to, before even walking into the house. I often take a walk through it in the morning before going to work. The birds are always chirping in the morning and the air is so calm.

I
By the way, Brenda, there are lily bulbs from your Co-Op that are in this bed. The Silk Road are on the verge of blooming. I will post them once they open.

Here is a photo of a large birdhouse in my garden. There is a family of wrens in the right side. I loved this birdhouse when I saw it because it was made with old house parts, with drawer pulls as perches and an old door knob on front.

Cici, boy does your garden look good. You gave me an idea, I need to take pictures of before-during-after. You see them every day and don't realize how much they grown. I've maked on the wall of some, but the picture beats painting later. Loved the pic. Liz

This message was edited Jul 5, 2004 7:24 AM

Here are two photos from my garden. I love bird houses and these 2 are unique. One is made with a funnel as a roof and the other is attached to a shovel as a post.

The other photo is of 3 jack frosts and surrounding plants. I love the silvery look of the jack frosts. They are kind of pricey but worth it!

Love those birdhouses!

Are the Jack Frosts called Brunnera?
I have been looking at them every time I go to the garden centre. They are $15.00 here.

Such a pleasure to see your garden
Well done Beardtongue.

Hey beardtonge- I love your bird houses, your right they are unique. Here is mine, not as nice as yours but I built myself. Plus some "catbirds" made a nest. Tickled me. i love outdoors,watching birds, planting, and gardening--one day I hope to have a really nice one. Right now, I'm estactic over what I have. I'll send pic. if you want. Liz B.

Yes, Starzz those jack frosts are a brunnera. Aren't they pretty? I picked up 2 of them at end of season sales last year knowing that I would be putting them in this garden and then bought the third this spring. At full price here they run around $18! Needless to say, I am hoping to get some divisions out of them so I don't need to buy anymore.

Lizbar, I admire your ability to make your own birdhouses. I am all thumbs when it comes to that. Isn't it neat when the birdies move in? My momma wren chatters at me whenever I get near her house. When she enters the house, I can hear her little ones scream for food. I am amazed at how hard she works to feed them. She is constantly flying in and out with food for them.

Beardtonge, I love to see birds feeding their young also. I have a cat, Roscoe(14lbs.), I used to worry he would bother the birds...other way around. He'll strech out and they will sit in the trees, fence, car, anywhere close to him. They will let him know he's not wanted. Thankfully he's to "fat" to even want to. Here's a picture of him. Also, I kept finding baby birds, (raised a thrush one time), so I got a bird cage so I'll be prepared. LIZ

beardtongue--such cute garden accents you have found. My neighbor (a man) has a collection of unusual birdhouses. I should see about snapping a pic of them as they just sold their house and move in 3 weeks!

You're brunnera is doing so well. I bought one for $15 this spring and it's doing ok.....not failing me or anything, but sure doesn't seem to grow very much. Do you find this to be a slow-grower for you?

oh, do go snap birdhouse pics. I'm getting such good ideas from catching up on this post. One thing my garden lacks is birdhouses. I wouldn't expect my robins, orioles, or hummer to move in - but maybe a sparrow??? do they use 'em? Prolly get wasps, they move in on everything else. I just want for decor in the yard.
Lazy today after all the doings yesterday. For a small town we have the BEST fireworks. Lots of them and spectacular arrays. The gathering at daughter Jini's house expanded and expanded with friends bringing both more friends and more food. Everyone stayed talking and laughing until dusk and then away to the cemetary to watch the fireworks. I love small towns.
Here comes my friend for coffee. pics later.

cici,
I love this- absolutely love this!
Me and mum are looking at your pictures and planning our gardens! And you started with nothing but a dirt lot!
I wish for some of your clay- lol.
We have decent soil here- but it's a tad bit too sandy. We have to ammend it alot.

In 10 years your gardens will be just- perfect!
Were going to make our paths alot like yours- gonna buy cement here and there,lol. So pretty!
Thanks for sharing. :)

beardtonge, I loved the picture of the open space with your flowers. I envey you. I took this picture on a swamp with my dad and two kids. I loved it so much I enlarged it and its in a frame on my wall. Liz

sorry guys its been a while since i have been on DG, been real busy with the house.. ok for one (and not in order, lol,) blooms, i get nothing but wasps in my bird houses... which i hate cuz they chase me.. they fly right for my face ... i also love birdhouses.. but every single time they make them their home.. they even try to reside in my bamboo wind chimes...

rutholive, i am so glad u have enjoyed the pics... i think its fun seeing before and after pics... and yes the golden chain tree is a lambrum, i have one or two that died , one my hubby hit with the tractor while backing up... the other i think died when my water timer broke after i moved it... so this next spring i'll have to get two more... as far as the house , its comming along... slowly but surely here is as pic of it so far as of last night... , we got the porch posts in two days ago, and i painted them yesterday becasue they started to crack from the cool foggy mornings to the hot temps by 11am.. i really wanted to get those painted before they started to split and crack , last night we got both big huge beams in the brackets , inthis pic though it only shows one of the beams in.. and boy of boy do i have plans for that front of the house! i am itching to start it .... but i cant till hubby puts the porch on at least... i dont want his workers tromping all over everything.. i'd have to kill them! lol.. and i really need them to help him build the house.. so i cant do that...lol.. tonight i guess we put up the roof joists, then he can start with stacking the roof... the house is going to be white shiplap sideing , trimmed in barn red.. the porch floor will be a stained as will the tops of the porch steps... i know the house looks small but for one we will make it living space for my hubbys office and storage, and we aready have plans for an addition... anyway i'll go ahead now and post it and do another post for the rest i want to say...lol...

beartounge , ur before and after pics look great!!!!! i just love before and after pics.. love ur fairies too... i think my mom has that one u have where she is standing up with her hand out.. beautiful!!! love ur bird houses too.. ur garden pics remind me of paul the gardener guys yard... (: keep em comming.. u know now in a few months ur gonna have to post it again to see how much its grown... like lizbar said u just dont realize it till u compair it to older photos... (: u guys should see how HUGE the seedlings are now i planted in the raised bed that had the gophers got into.. i'll have to go out and take pics... they are prob about 2 1/2 ro 3 ft tall!!! and Lizbar, u know at first i accidentally did the before and after pics... my mom and dad hadnt been up here all winter (due to our mudd) so when i sent her pics of my new garden she was like " oh, thats nice" , and i kept saying yeah it is mama, but u should have seen it before , all full of weeds and looked horrible, so i started going thru all my pics and found a bunch that i could compair to, and then realized it had looked worse then i remembered... lol.. plus i found a bunch of before pics of the hammock garden area (the first ones posted above) and from then on i decided to take before and after pics.. i love it, now as u can see from the pic above of my house thats the first before pic of any gardens.. and actually i have pics of the area way before the house was even there.. (: lol..

crimson, glad u like my gardens and paths... i also buy concrete here and there.. i usually buy 6 bags at a time... thats all my car can handle..hubby gets so mad at me for hauling this concrete in my car.. my car is pretty new.. its a 2003 mustang, so he gets really upset saying i am gonna ruin my shocks and blah blah blahh... i keep telling him well someone has to get it and hes always working.. so i have to haul it.. i lay blankets on the front seat and have them put 3 to 4 60 lb bags of concrete there and 2 to 3 in the trunk... i olny drive maybe 5 miles to home with it.. i am sure it isnt gonna do THAT much damage... i try to get a plan on my gardens but i dont get too picky if i dont follow it..BUT i do have plans at least what i am doing around the house... but not really plans on the kind of flowers and such.. or arrangments of them,.. i just put in what i like...and crimson when u do ur gardens dont forget to take a pic of the are before u do anything to it.. and then again after u plant it..(: cant wait to see it! (: oh and u want me to ship u some dirt???lol.. could u imagine getting a big box full of clay soil... i think my hubby would lock me up ! lolol

If I did this right here is a picture of how this place looked when i bought it 9 years ago and how it looked last year. I only have 7 or 8 albums of yard & garden pictures, each from 100 to 300 photos each!!!!!!!!!!!! Donna

Hey Guys, I got an idea for a new forum... Before and after. That might give some of us the insintive to take pictures. It's amazing to see the pictures. We don't realize how much work goes into gardening. I think it would be neat and informative?? What do you think?? Liz

This message was edited Jul 8, 2004 1:23 AM

wow rutholive! it looks great!!!!!! ur before pic looks alot like what my place looked like 3 and 1/2 years ago... (: how do u handle the gophers? u gotta have gophers with that type of large empty area u started with..

liz, i think thats a great idea!!!! i think we all tend to not take pics of our grounds when they are not what we like, and only take pics when we are finished with them or when they are several years old... what do we have to do to get a forum for before and after pics?

cici.. I don't know. but I think it would be neat to do it. we never want to take a pic. before. but just think of the rewards of taking one after. We could look back and see the fruit of our labors!!! I think its a great idea. Liz

here is a pic of the first day we got the property, as u can see nothing but old barley weeds, and sage brush... this pic isnt very clear this was taken with and older camera...

here is a picture of my backyard before....

alizbar, I see your before picture with the kids (your family) and the tractor, but where is your after photo of same space. If posted above guess I didn't search far enough for it. Donna

after pic. sorry Liz

We moved into this home 6 yrs. ago and the previous owners didn't do anything in the front or back yards. We finally had a contractor come in and do all the hardscape and sprinklers, but I have done all the planting and such.

Here is a before of the front yard. Also notice the change of house color....I hated that light gray.

Donna

Here is a picture right after it was finished, which was 2 yrs. ago. Things have grown and been changed, but you get the idea.

Donna

Here is a pic of the back yard before. See the tall Ficus trees that are in the neighbors yard behind me and on the side. I felt very closed in and had very little sun. This remodel was very extensive, patio, patio cover, pond and lots of new soil.

Donna