And I want to thank everyone for baby stepping me through all of this, the results are as much you folks doings as it is mine.....and especially
Cordeledawg...Tabasco....Illoquin and Meredith79 for all of your input and putting up[ with all of my D Mails and inane questions...
TJB
This is the East side.
all together
This is the side entrance I have built and the 6 and a half fott wind break will be running down the west side of the Garden when it is finished ( The first picture )
Towards the back you may notice where 2 brick pathways come close to one another....next year or maybe in the fall, I will be building a bridge that is wheel chair accessible to connect the 2 paths as well as putting in a pond underneath.
I have a Toad Hotel I put in and will add frogs for the pond
Jack- amazing! Beautiful work!! are you available for hire?? I wish I was a butterfly - I know right where I'd be! Samantha
Thanks....actually I travel for work, all over the states here. I was and am fortunate that I was layed off for a few months to work on this. I will going back to work soon, then it will up to my brother to maintain it...lol All of the bricks are antique bricks from demolished buildings, nearly everything else is done on a tight budget. I am one of those re use and scavenge people. Eventually the whole back yard will be a Butterfly habitat.
I get through GA a lot, I could always give a hand on a off day though....lol
Jack,
This is really beautiful!! It has given a lot of ideas for my butterfly garden.
Thanks for sharing,
Chuck
Very nice Jack. My butterfly garden is a work in progress so I appreciate the ideas too.
Jack! Great work...it's beautiful! Tell your Mom I'm movin in! :)
Adrienne
Wow, that's beautiful.
My garden beds look like untamed jungles compared to that.
Karen
Thanks everyone....It really takes a someone elses fresh perspective to keep me motivated. At times I see it as a big mess!...LOL being as I am temporarily layed off, I have all the time in the world to put towards it. I am currently sleeping in the enclosed 3 seasons room I built for my Mother 3 years ago ( It is one of the things that started the itch to put her garden in ) So I wake up to birds at dawn....and this is what I see.....I work the majority of the day on garden related projects and have been know to lay bricks or mix concrete under flood lights and 11 p.m. if I want to finish a certain area...LOL
The garden looks really nice, Jack. One of these days I'll plan a shopping trip north to Danville so I can stop to see it in person. I usually shop in Terre Haute since it's half the distance to travel. I wish I still had my bike (and drivers license). It's been a while since I enjoyed the scenery at Julie's.
Gary
Julies?
Julie's Shooting Star. Biker hangout known for the luscious barmaids she hires. Julie has them pose for a calendar each year. Bikers can't wait till November when the next year's beauties will be displayed for them to ogle during the coming months. Then again, the few times I've been up there the barmaid looked like she'd just crawled off her "hog" she'd spent all winter rebuilding. LOL
Gary
Jack, your mom's butterfly garden is just beautful. : ) You have a good eye for what looks good. I could sit out there all day, and just watch the comings, and goings. Good Job! : )
~Lucy
WOW..........I LOVE IT
When all of the ground cover spreads, then it will look like a different garden......I think I have 3 or 4 different types to blend from one to the other for more interest, color and texture.
It's jaw-dropping goreous! You did your mom proud. Now she can stroll sure-footed around those beds and enjoy her flutterbys. I can't believe how big those plants have grown. It's amazing how quickly they filled out and matured. I recently toured the Botanical Research Gardens in Griffin Ga. Your pathway around your gardens reminds me of that garden tour. As I walked the winding paths I immediately thought of you.
Do you have a puddling spot yet? I don't remember if you told me you had one. If not, dig a hole in a sunny spot, bury a bucket to the rim, fill it with some of that left over builder's sand then fill it with water. Your mom will enjoy watching them gather at a puddle.
When you come to Georgia give me a call or stop by. I'm a skip and hop from Samantha, just northeast less than an hour. I sure could pick your brain for pathway ideas winding through my butterfly wilderness. I'm so proud of you! And I thank you for sharing your labor of love for your garden project with me.
Deborah
Deborah
As a matter of fact, I was trying to think of the best way to make one, and yours sounds like the best, easy and affordable I just put in this Toad Hotel last night for " George " our resident toad that comes out every night between 8:30 and 9 and crosses the brick path.....I built this in the garden in hopes he will relocate.....It is hollowed out underneath and has a 2 inch high opening running the length of one side.
Thanks for all the kind words and help i have received from you Deb. And yes, when I am down there, i would love to see your garden and brain storm with you...
TJB
Nice toad abode. lol
Wonderful garden, shadowjack! I especially love all of your brickwork and rock work! Very inspiring. It must be fun to wake up in the morning right there in the three season room and enjoy the view!
What a lovely garden, your mom must be so happy!
I especially love the brick work, great find on all the old bricks, they add such character to the space.
What a loving son. You are doing a great job. So much hard work. Your plants look very healthy and happy living there.
Mary
OMG, that is absolutely beautiful! I can't believe you did all that in such a short time! I am proud to be mentioned as one of the people to help inspire such a wonderful garden! Can I say that you have in return inspired me. Okay I am off to make some paths. LOL! : )
Uhm.....given the correct inspiration " All of you folks and this fantastic site " and the proper information to proceed forward " Again, the afore mention folks and many more on this site "....I can be a bit obsessive...lol
The Bricks were free The cement and mortor minimul, and the sand can be gotten by the truck load cheap or by the bag....Lowes is the cheeapest I have found for sand that works.....
Thanks again for the Kind words
All I can say is WOW. My garden too looks pretty untamed compared to that. The paths are beautiful. I just have to walk through mine and hope I don't step on a plant. What an awesome job you have done and the plants look spectacular as well. Hope your mom is rewarded with many appreciative butterflies.
Leslie
Actually they have been sparse this year thus far......this week I have seen more than the whole season....spotted my first Monarch yesterday and first swallowtail the day prior....there have been a good amount of white cabbages though....
Thanks for the kind words
SJ, that's beautiful!!! Your mom is a lucky woman!!!
A better view of the path
The alternate view, to include the Arbor that will be covered with Sweet Autumn Clematis
the Brick Pathway leading to the" Green Room " as we call it. The area runs along the bricks that is mulch only gets a couple hours of direct sunlight due to the Patio shading it......I am at a loss what to put there that is Butterfly friendly.....it is maybe 18 inches deep and 6 foot long....everything i put in there dies. I have actually had this path here for a number of years....any suggestions?
The Herb cat host areas
A different view of the smaller stepping stones I made
This is a ground view of " 465 The Circle " that goes around the round Lily bed....an homage to my years that I lived in Indianapolis
...
Everything looks really good up close too. Wow I can't believe how tall the Joe Pye Weed is! It is a Joe PYe RIght? I want one that tall : ) Do you know which one it is?
The tag reads Eupatorium Maculatum ( Joe Pye Weed )
Atropurpureum....... I think the company name is Garden joy, unless that is a name for this variety....I cut the bottom of thge tag off to fit in my clear paper protector sleave....so I can all of my tags in a 3 ring binder.
I can collect seeds from it this year for you if you like......This is the second year for it and it is hitting 7 feet.....! of the 3 I planted last year is not doing well at all this season, lagging way behind and only a quarter of the spread of the other 2.
Do you think I should post a list of what I have growing in this veritable smorgasbord of plants?
Yes, list please!
For anyone that is interested in what is planted here....I have just put together my first spreadsheet..... here is the link.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pyM08gg5Pimsn4yuqsXDDQw
I have arranged it by Perennials, Annuals and Herb Host Plants
Enjoy
Jack,
question. 8th picture down I think. You have the flowers on the left of the path. They are fairly tall, different colors, orange, pink, etc. Could you tell me what those are? I know I am going to feel stupid when you tell me. I have seen those before I know and this year they came up in my garden from a wildflower seed mix. I just cannot remember what they are. So far all of mine are pink. The hummers seem to like them though. Thanks and looks awesome.
Leslie
Jack what a awesome butterfly/Hummingbird habitat you have created. it is so beautiful
