Welcome to my gardens... and messes ;)

Well I haven't done a real introduction here, but I must say I feel very welcomed already. In all the years I've been gardening and all the years I've enjoyed online forums, I can't believe I never found or joined a gardening forum, and you guys aren't going to get rid of me!

So I thought I'd post a thread with some of my gardens and a little bit about me. I'm 37 and my mom is 82. She had a stroke a few years back so I moved back in with her. The house was built in the early 1900s and needs a lot of work. I have the upstairs and she stays down. She was a lifelong gardener but started slowing down before the stroke, and that put her out of gardening. She still gets around but has balance issues and can't get up from a kneeling position. The house has been in the family (my dad's side) since the 1930s, and it sits on 12 acres of land. I have a big barn, a couple fields, several acres of woods with a creek running through it, and many flower beds around the front. If this all sounds like paradise... well, it isn't exactly ;) It's a lot of work and a lot of things have been neglected for a long time. I also have to deal with a lot of invasives, both in the woods and in my gardens. I'll probably copy some of this post in my blog for my own reference, too.

So I'll start with my biggest plans for this year: tilling out vast areas next to the kitchen side of the house and putting in fencing so the dogs can run around and pee on some of my flowers. I know that will be a constant battle, but it can't be helped. If I'm fencing, I'm flowering...

I'm fencing in this entire area. The line of brush/trees is coming out (save for a few butternut trees) and the fence will extend back about 20' further than that, into a field. The fence will be edged with beds, but I'm not sticking to square. I'm putting in a patio and having walk-through gardens on one side, and leaving grass on the other. I (think I'm) planning well to address mowing issues and accessibility...

The sun just popped out so I'll only post one more until I come back in, but boy I took a lot of pics today!

This is the driveway end of the long strip of bed you can kind of see in the previous pic. This strip bed is the inside of the future fence. The street side of the fence will also be bedded, in orange, red & yellow tones. The inside gardens will be limited to pink, purple, blue and white, with the exception of roses. Some might be yellow. See, a lady on freecycle gave a bunch away (I had to dig) and the first five bushes each turned into 3-4, and then she let me have 6-7 other ones. I have nearly 40 rose bushes now, but no idea what color any of them are! No problem, I love roses, and they're the only plant that I don't mind having mismatched in color.

Well welcome again, Shirley. Glad to hear you're here for the long haul! Looks like a great opportunity to make your garden as you wish. Lots of work, but I'm sure it will be a labor of love. Good luck!

Victor

Welcome... MissFabulous. What a great area to work with. Could you put in some raised beds for your mom to work with?

flowerjen, I might be able to manage some raised beds, but oddly, I think my mom has lost interest in gardening as well. She likes hearing my stories about what I've done, and she talks about how she went thru the Master Gardener program and still likes to look at everything and talk gardening, but I can't seem to get her out there much. At least she enjoys what I'm doing and is helpful (sometimes) in the knowledge department!

Victor, it's definitely a labor of love. This is the first year that I feel well enough physically (chronic pain etc) and had the money for real tools to actually get somewhere. I don't feel as overwhelmed as I did in the last few years and now I'm really excited and inspired. I don't have a DH or anyone but friends to (occasionally) help and a great neighbor I can always count on, but this is the year I think I'm going to make a big impact - I can feel it!

So in this pic you can see one of my messes. It's the brush line that I've started removing. You can see that I have drainage issues. I have some ideas in mind to capture some of this water and channel it to the pond I want to put in my fenced area, so that it's somewhat like a cross between a raingarden and pond. The brush line, while it isn't the fence line, will also turn into flower/berry gardens with walkways through it. I figure anywhere a stump is left will have flowers around and I'll work out my pattern from there!

It sure does look like you have your work cut out for you! Gorgeous huge yard so many possibilities are there! Good luck you and welcome to the forum!!!

Sorry to hear about your mom - I know for me my mom is my inspiration! I don't know what I would do without my gardening buddy!

Here is another one of my messes. It's an area with many interesting plants in it. When I got back here a few years ago, I wondered how I could get th junk out of these beds. Now, my plan has changed and I'm pulling the good stuff out to relocate and tilling (and using chemicals ONLY when all else fails) so I can start from scratch. This bed has wild grapes, burdock and several other scourges well seated in it, along with irises, spiderwort, and some other nice things worth saving. Getting this bed straightened out won't be easy though!

Dawn, I sure do have my work cut out for me, both outside and in. My mom very much inspired me to garden and learn but things are different now. I'm glad to be here for her, but it isn't easy, either, as our roles have changed as well as our conversations. I noticed there is a caregivers forum here that I will check out at some point, and just seeing it meant a lot to me. Fortunately, I finally have a gardening buddy in town, and I'm already making some swap buddies here. It really helps to have other people in my life who are also obsessed with gardening, because if someone isn't, they just don't get it! I'm really lucky to have such a nice piece of land, and even when I complain about the amount of work and things that get ahead of me, it's still very gratifying. For the last few years, I've been pitching a tent in my backyard during the really hot months. My dogs and I go out and sleep in the tent and enjoy the scents, sights and sounds. Who needs air conditioning when I've got fresh air and stars in the sky?

Shirley, I'm enjoying reading about your efforts. I can't imagine how much you have to do around the house and also taking care of your mom. It's good you're there for her and also to pursue some gardening. I'm sure you will find lots of information and support on DG.

- Lynn

Thanks, Lynn. I'm already finding DG to be an invaluable resource, and it already feels like I've been here much longer than a few days. It's also really inspiring to see what everyone else is doing. I'm very grateful to have found you all!

Now here is another one of my messes... this is my mom's "perennial bed" but for the last few years, I've called it the Darwin Garden, since every plant in it is competing for survival against other plants. The weak have long since past, and now, only the survivors remain. I'm finally ready to break up their survival of the fittest party and dig out the winners to get them flourishing elsewhere, and maybe eventually back in this bed. Besides weeds and tough grass and wild grape vines, it also has spiderwort, crocosmia lucifer, globe thistle, peonies in white and magenta, gooseneck, white heliotrope, some kind of yellow flower my mom calls primrose that I have not yet identified, achillea "the pearl," achillea pastel mix, hardy geranium, day lilies, chameleon plant, asiatic lilies I've already pulled, astilbe and something my mom said is called widow's weed or something like that, along with hundreds of daffodils and narcissus in many varieties and a few hyacinth and wood hyacinth, with a really messy land area behind it that went to he!! after we had some dead poplar trees removed and the trucks put ruts in the ground so bad that I can't mow... I'm thinking I'll get a load of dirt and just cover it and build it up since it's too marshy anyway... maybe this year, maybe not. It's been on my list for a while! Geez, what a long list!

A close up.. isn't this lovely?

What a beautiful property you have. I think if you take it easy and enjoy the process, and don't try for perfection in one year, you will have a wonderful time taking on and coaxing back the various "messes" one day at a time.

Best of luck, I can't wait to see more pictures. Befores and afters are my favorites.

Thanks, DaisyGirl. That's exactly what my neighbor told me a few years ago when I first came back: "A little bit at a time" and I think I finally have the right mentality, physical strength and the power tools to deal with it. I've gotten overwhelmed at times, but I think I'm learning to pick my battles and not worry about everything and just focus on what is most important and actually doable. In a way, it's better that I've let somethings slide since I now have better plans that my initial ideas. Now that I have a place (here) to share my progress and get inspiration and knowledge, I'm sure I'll make even better progress. In just a few days, I've learned so much from all of you and I've already made some nice connections with others. It really means a lot to me!

Welcome Shirly
Lotsa pictures is what keeps this forum going.
We also love progress reports. Your vision for your gardens is great. Your philosophy will help you suceede(sp)

Take it a piece at a time, Shirley. Thinking about the whole thing can be overwhelming. Prioritize. Think about what's most important to you. If trees and large shrubs are in the long-term plan, start with them. Use annuals until any perennial beds are mature. And of course, budget yourself! Those are a few tips based on my experience. Most of all - enjoy it! You have a unique opportunity.

It's funny... I have a rough plan, but I also know how gardens take on a mind of their own. This year, I'm going to prep the beds, try to establish a few perennials and use fast-growing, showy annuals to fill in the spaces. I haven't made up my mind on shrubs yet. I'll use a few native trees (saplings) from my land, including one butternut that I won't cull from the existing brush line. I've looked at shrubs, and besides the $250 azaleas, nothing has jumped out at me. I might just end up moving some other stuff from around the house. I have a couple lilac and forsythia runners/babies and was thinking about using those some where in the "plan" but I think I'll let the space "talk to me" once the fence is in. I've drawn up a bunch of plans but I know I won't follow any of them!!

In this pic, you can see evidence of my drainage issues. I really hope my pond & gravel plan help clear this up!

Shirley:

You are amazing! And what a great eye you have for seeing the beauty all around you. Victor is right, too. Take it slowly. It didn't get that way overnight, ya know. Some of the bad stuff will take quite a few diggings before they are completely gone, too, in my opinion.

I must say that you have inspired me to greater heights.

If you still have wet areas, don't fight them - work with them. There are plenty of plants that will perform well in wet or boggy conditions.

Victor is right. We have all different conditions throughout our property and instead of fighting them, I try to work with what is there and grow what would be the most natural. It drives me crazy when people attempt to remediate and grow things not suited to either the area, conditions or zone thinking they know better than Mother Nature! She always has the last laugh in the end!

Dont Old Man Winter have the last of the last laughs too?

In my opinion, Mother Nature trumps Old Man Winter every time.

The age old battle of the sexes! Ha, ha!

LOL!!! I'm with you guys - nature has things all figured out, and when we try to disrupt her system, we just screw things up. I'm going through an emotional/moral/etc dilemma right now over the brush line. It's an eyesore and I want to remove it, but it hosts so many birds. I put up a bird feeder in a tree nearby and they hang out in the brush while waiting their turn or seeking cover from the other birds. I guess I'll leave part of it but some of it has to go. I can replace it with other landscape shrubbery that I would find more appealing, but of course, those would take time to establish. I feel guilty, but I want at least a big chunk of it gone! I'd like to be able to see across the filed and I need to make more room for the area and the brush line cuts it up. Being a naturalist and an avid gardener isn't easy!!

Ok... only a seasoned gardener can appreciate this... here is one of my new, glorious beds!

It's the place where I put my new Sarah Bernhardt peonies. a shrub (rose of sharon or nanking bush cherry) will go behind it to hide the ugly dogbane, which I just couldn't cut down completely because the birds love this part of the yard. I did a lot more clearing from the previous pictures. I need to get to work on the fence. I started tilling but some areas are just still too wet and the mud just gums up the tiller. Here's what I've cleared so far.

I also had some fun yesterday with an old apple tree stump and a wooden barrel that has been sitting on the dirt floor of my barn (tons of "stuff" around here) so the bottom had rotted out. I let it dry out and poly'd it. Since dirt really isn't cheap and I don't have much to spare, I filled the bottom with brush, since I have more of that than I know what to do with.

Naturally, I have plenty of things growing around here to spare, so I put in some lamb's ear, creeping jenny, and went around the bottom with sweet woodruff. I'm really pleased with the results!

A close up of the new mess. Some of it will be patio, some of it will return to lawn, and a good deal of it will be flower/berry gardens and pathways. I will probably spend the rest of my life standing next to the chipper, making mulch. At least I have a lifetime supply of branches... fof now I'll hide some of the ugly spots with annuals, particularly poppies and zinnias since they're fast growers and full of color.

What a great job! Thanks for sharing, and the photos are marvelous.

OHHHHHYES that looks familiar.
Now to controle yourself befor you buy too many plants.
Here's mine
Just a sample no need to bore you with the vastness, looks just like yours, full of promise.

Oh dear - I will go bankrupt

What else would you do with the money.
This has just enough Angst and joy as any cruise.

Good point.
Who needs a vacation when we can refresh ourselves in the vastness and beauty of nature right here at home? Well, on second thought. We could hire someone for a week and then run off to some exotic nursery.

LOL you guys are funny. Yes, indeed... I would rather spend $$ on this than a cruise. I don't know that I'll ever be able to sit back and enjoy any of it because I'll be weeding and chipping constantly, but I sure like to expand!

I made more progress in the last few days. I planted some lilacs in front of the shabby looking dogbane. They're little suckers that are several years old. I had to take them down to bare root to get the Bishop's Weed and lily of the valley out, and I'm stunned at how well they transplanted. Not a bit of wilting. They look like they've always been there.

I pulled out some railroad ties that were slightly rotted that my father must have put in a burn pile that never got burned over 15 years ago. Probably a lot longer. Anyway, I was relieved to find that it wasn't that difficult to yank them out with the 25hp lawn tractor. There is a collapsed barn out back that has a stack of ties, too, but it's so overgrown and there are fallen trees around it, so it's not going to be easy to get them out. We'll so, though - I'm very determined when I want something!

Now when I dig the pond, I can add some of that dirt to build it up, and I'm going to try to get composted manure from the horse farmers in the area to amend and build up. I really like the look of the ties, even though I wanted to avoid having a lot of straight lines.

That's beginning to come together very nicely, Shirley.
I like the special touch that the dandelions give to the foreground ... ^_^

LMAO It amazes me how fast they shoot up! I was at a picnic the other day and the kids were finding stems that were well over a foot long!

My fencing has been coming together nicely as well. At HD, I talked the guy in the gardening department down to $35 a 50' roll from $47. "Well, you know, they're cheaper at TSC, but I'd really like to buy them here..." and I asked a guy down the street (grape farmer) if he's sell me 100 of the old posts he had in a pile. He sold them to me for forty cents apiece, and delivered for another $10!!!! Woo hoo, joy of joys, I'm coming in under budget for a change. I also decided that I'm not buying gates, which are ugly, not wide enough for my lawn tractor, cost $100 each and I need two of them and would prefer three. Instead, I found six old windows in the barn that are the perfect size. I'm taking out the glass and replacing with lattice panel, adding hinges and latches and doing three double gates. It will be inexpensive and much better looking than those ugly metal ones.

It's still a little too damp for me to till, but that didn't stop me from trying. I figure if I scar up the surface where it can't quite get in it will dry faster. It was a lot of work and my hands and arms hurt now, but this is where the patio is going:

I love the way you are 'finding' gates. What a great 'trash to treasure' idea.

The scarred surface of this new area looks wonderful.

By the way, I am really liking this thread. It's so great to 'see' a project shared from start to finish.

Amen to that nice going Miss Fab