Some Before and After Pictures: Grass is the Word

All of these before pictures were done approximately one year ago. It is really amazing just how much changes in one year, even if it is only winter time you can still see some major differences. The main differences being that we now have grass. Grass is good, grass is GREAT! It pretty much stops erosion; especially in the winter; is a very nice color (green), and helps to hold the whole landscape together; both literally and figuratively. 

We start with the newly constructed pond. It has been just over one year since I opened this pond up. It is taking me longer than I had expected to get the balance just right for the fish and water clarity, but it is coming along okay. I have added drift roses around the far perimeter, almost finished the brick patio, and some ornamentation. The pond is now looking like it has always been here and not as though it is still newly constructed.



The entire build site suffered severely from the build process. Not only did we have about one to two feet of topsoil bulldozed out of the way for the house, but we had the complete frontyard dug up and trenched to a depth of five feet in order to put the geothermal lines in the ground. The backyard was dug up for the septic system and curtain drain, and the side yard had a well drilled. Needless to say going into 2015 we had a mess on our hands. Think mud, mud, and more mud. Throw in some rocks and you pretty much have the picture.

One year later we can now see some green. This green is deceptive though. I put over 100 pounds of KY-31 fescue seed on the back and frontyards in the fall of 2014. Some of it germinated but most did not or what did perished over the summer last year. With no fescue, weeds like crabgrass and ragweed quickly moved into this area. While those weeds were green during the summer and could be mowed, they quickly disappeared once the weather turned cold in the fall. I then spread another 50 pounds of KY-31 on the frontyard. The lush green you see is a result of that seed germinating. These young seedlings are very tender and not well established so we have to be careful when we walk on the yard. Nonetheless, it is green and not brown anymore. I hope these seedlings grow well come this spring so that I don't have as many weeds as last summer.

Looking west down the frontyard we really see the damage done to the ground due to all the digging and traffic. Little trenches caused by the winter rains are quite obvious. The railroad ties are patiently awaiting the time when Mr. Fix-it and I can place them in the vegetable garden. The newly planted sawtooth oak tree is doing okay.

One year later we now have a bunch of newly grown seedlings of the KY-31 grass. There are still tons of bare spots but I will slowly work on those. Most of the erosion has stopped but I still have a lot of problem areas to work out. The railroad ties are in place in the vegetable garden and the workings of a new patio are in place to the left of the picture. I hope to finish this patio soon. I'll be using leftover bricks from the house build. I did all of the clean up from the house build and through salvaging the culled bricks I managed to recover three pallets of leftover bricks! Even though these bricks have holes in them I will be placing them on their side around a firepit and I think the final outcome should be quite nice. Not to mention I found a productive way to use all the leftover brick-free-might I add.

The five foot deep trenches for the geothermal lines meant the area of the frontyard would settle quite a bit. In some areas I had to backfill more than a foot in order to compensate for settling. All of the leftover topsoil was respread upon the property and I did all of the fine grading. I asked my backhoe guy to just pile up leftover topsoil in this area of the vegetable garden because not only did I want to compensate for settling, but I wanted raised beds in the vegetable garden. I think most of the settling and backfilling is over now and the vegetable garden; while not completely finished; has come a long way.

The same area now with its beds of irises and raised beds of vegetables (though there is not much growing right now). This is the west side of the garden.

The center of the garden contains a raised strawberry bed; which was put in place fairly quickly last year.

I also added a raised herb bed and more vegetable beds. I mulched the paths with crush n run gravel.

The east side of the vegetable garden with its piles of dirt awaiting proper placement.

Now the beds are all made up and everything is in place. Grass is still quite bare or even nonexistent in a good amount of places. I know from experience it takes a few years to get a good lawn going and I have patience (do I have a choice???). Here's hoping....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

A Landscape Design Before and Afters

Before

I thought I'd share one of my landscape designs with you in the form of before and after photographs. The client of course gave me permission to share the photos. 

This was a front yard landscape design I did last May. The client diligently worked all summer and fall and got the beds put in as well as all of the unique plants. The only request made of me when designing this garden was to make it a showplace with interest all year long. One more major consideration is that the homeowner is a very good gardener. This meant very unique plants, and lots of them. I am a designer who designs with trees, shrubs, and perennials. All are in the this front yard design. I think you'll agree this is indeed now a showplace that would delight any gardener-and in only one year! I tell you my reward when designing (besides some income) is to see the designs installed! I hope you enjoy the new garden as much as I do. In person it is really nice and may be on display in a garden tour in a two years-I hope. Enjoy the tour.

After





After: left side of house.

Before: left side of property.



After: Left side of property looking toward the house (west). I call this part of the garden the 'Fall Garden'. There are asters, sedum, grasses (more on the type below), and a ninebark in this section of the front yard. I generally try to design drought tolerant areas further away from the house and all of these plants are drought tolerant. Catmint also grows here but I consider catmint a year round plant and would use it in all gardens if I could. 

Before: front sidewalk area looking north.



After: front sidewalk area looking north.

Before: Left side of house looking east.

Before: left side of house looking north.

Before: left side of the house looking northeast. wonderful grass that I can just about guarantee no one else in your neighborhood will have-unless you happen to live in this particular neighborhood. I highly recommend this grass for a full sun average garden soil location with a bit of moisture.

After: left side of  house looking northeast.

Before: left side of house looking west.

After: left side of house looking west.

After: front garden alongside the road looking east. The grass I used to screen the power boxes is not your normal grass that is generally used to screen the power boxes in neighborhoods. Normally miscanthus is used for screening; probably because it is so easily found in stores. The one I used is Panicum virgatum 'Northwinds'. This is a wonderful grass that I can just about guarantee no one else in your neighborhood will have-unless you happen to live in this particular neighborhood. I highly recommend this grass for a full sun average garden soil location with a bit of moisture.

Before: Right side of the house looking away from the house.

After: right side of the house looking toward the house. In my designs I try to use native plants. Most clients want something unique and different in their landscapes when they hire me. Native plants fit the bill because not only are they not well known enough to be used in landscapes, but they are not often sold by most plant nurseries; at least in my experience. If all nurseries sell the most 'sellable' plants (read cheapest to produce or resell, and market) then other plants will not they may be more satisfactory might not be as common. Such is the case with native plants. In the above picture you can see one of my most favorite native plants. It is also a plant that I feel is underused in landscapes. It is not the Knockout roses but can you guess which plant it is? It is the fine textured plant to the left of the Knockouts and it will turn a vivid wheat color in the fall. Any guesses?

Before: Right side of house looking south.

After: right side of house looking south. 

As a relatively new designer I tell you I love my job and I love it ever so more when I see my designs come to life. All of the credit must go to the client with this wonderful garden. Without such super nice clients I'd never be able to design a thing. Designing is but one facet of a beautiful landscape and I highly recommend getting a design for any landscape project. I only with I'd taken the time to do a design for my gardens! It would've made things a lot easier for me. 

I recently finished the backyard design for this same client and I tell you I can't wait to see that come to fruition too. A hallmark of my designs is a lot of variety, textures, and interest year round tailored for each individual client. If the front of this house is a showplace for the public then can you guess what the back yard will be? Yup, you guessed it, a wonderland for the gardener and beautiful too....

in the garden....

I wanted to show you one last thing on this house. The above photo is from Google Earth and clearly shows the outline of the new gardens at this particular house. If you haven't used Google Earth it is a great and easy tool to use when landscaping your property....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

The Secret Patio After One Year

Secret Patio newly constructed February 2009 looking south toward the garage.

From In the Garden

I thought I might update everyone on my Secret Patio project from nearly two years ago. That original post talked of my building a circular brick patio made entirely from salvaged bricks I received from a fellow Freecycler.The patio was completed about this time in 2009 with the addition of a very large serviceberry tree. The first summer the patio gardens grew and did well. That was in 2009; which of course you all know we had a pretty good summer as far as rainfall. That was a big relief because it enabled all of the new plantings to settle in nicely which brings us to this past summer, the summer of 2010.

Secret Patio gardens looking west.

From In the Garden

These pictures were taken mid June 2010 and I tell you I just love how it all turned out. This is one garden I won't have to be moving any shrubs or trees-that's a first for me. The serviceberry (directly straight ahead on the other side of the chaise) has come along nicely and is doing well. I did not get a bloom from it last year though. I'm not sure why but hope this is a better year for both blooms and berries. The two 'Tamukeyama' Japanese maples I brought down from Maine in the back of a pick up truck provide a nice frame for the 'Royal Star' magnolia planted in the foregarden. Columbines, bleeding hearts, Solomon's Seal, a leucothoe 'Rainbow', a yellow twig dogwood, and miscellaneous other perennials round out the repertoire in these Secret Patio gardens. 


I call this area the 'Secret Patio' not only because it is tucked into the gardens and you can't even tell it is there until you get close to it, but also because it is in a convenient place for Mr. Fix-it to relax away from his GARAGE. He'll be doing a lot more relaxing because he is retiring from the Army very soon after a more than twenty year career.

Secret Patio looking south toward the garage.

From In the Garden

Now if I could only find the time to relax and enjoy the new sitting area....away from the GARDEN....


in the garden....it would be so sweet!

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Before and After Photos of a Client's Home

I was contacted by a possible client last spring to help update and change a front garden in an established neighborhood. At the time I had only just begun the garden coaching business and had not considered garden or landscape design as part of my business model; however, garden design is not too difficult so I was game and came up with a design the client liked. I don't think she'll mind if I use her first name so I'll call the client Barbara. The before pictures in this post were taken on May 26, 2009, the after pictures were taken on June 2, 2010 so you can see just how the garden has changed in the same season.
Barbara wished for hydrangeas and a natural feel to the front of her home but the area was challenging because Barbara's home faces east and the entire front of the house is shaded by mature dogwoods, and a very large black walnut (yikes!). To say the front of home gets very little sun is a true statement and a fact alone makes designing a garden in this location rather difficult. I spent a lot of time researching plants that could resist juglone (the chemical from the black walnut that usually makes the ground inhospitable to plants). I found there are actually several plants that can grow under black walnuts-including hydrangeas. Whew. Some hydrangeas do better than others but so far all of these hydrangeas (paniculata, quercifolia, and macrophylla) are doing well.

I did not do the install, only the basic design. In my design I saw several oakleaf hydrangeas near the foundation of the house with mopheads, hellebores, and hostas wrapping around the oakleafs. Additionally, a weeping Japanese maple was put into a prominent position for year round interest as a focal point. The plants are small right now but will have enough room to grow into their allotted spots as time goes on. All of the plants have or are blooming right now.

The lady who did the install first had to clean out this overgrown garden. The azaleas, ivy and a very over grown cherry laurel needed to be cleaned up, removed, and/or pruned depending on what it was and whether or not it had a spot in the design. Several nandinas were moved to the northern end of the home along the foundation making the foundation bed wrap around the home. A dying maple tree was removed and replaced with a river birch, all grass was removed and covered with mulch, plants planted and here you have a completely different home! The curb appeal went up immensely.

When I was invited over to take a look at the 'new' garden I almost couldn't believe the transformation. I hope you can see the differences in these pictures I decided to post (with Barbara's permission). The moment was most gratifying for me and I'm looking forward to seeing my other designs put into place in all my client's landscapes....

in the garden....

Thanks to Darla, Frances, Marnie, and Jean I have four new identities for my daylilies! Awesome and so much appreciated! I updated the post with the names.

Also, on my poll for sponsored give a ways it looks like it is pretty evenly divided so I will decide on a case by case basis as the opportunities present themselves. I don't want to change the character of this blog but like the idea of give a ways to a lucky person or two. Problem is, not everyone can win.

Thirdly, I'll be out enjoying the holiday weekend and will be back 'In the Garden' as soon as I am able to. So....

Everyone have a safe and fun Fourth of July...in the garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

From Then to Now (Back Yard)

Here is second part of my Blogiversary posts called "From Then to Now: Frontyard", this part is of course, "From Then to Now: Backyard". Most all of my gardening and the changes in the yard have been done on a shoestring budget and physical labor-mine! Every single garden you see was hand dug by me, every single rock and concrete chunk was hauled in by me (every single one free!), all plants were planted and nurtured by me, all hardscape was designed and built by me (with the occasional manpower from Mr. Fix-it and the two sons). What is my point? Just letting you know that gardening takes a lot of labor (as if you didn't already know it). but not so much money, just dedication and some free time; which I finally got after I retired from the Army, but for some reason the labor part seems to leave me before jobs get completed these days, however, that is a story for another day. Let's look at some backyard pictures of a garden in a constant state of change (aren't they all?).

Before: Northeast corner of Backyard (September 2001)

After: Northeast corner of the Backyard. (September 2008)

Before: Back Foundation Garden along the non-existent sidewalk looking south. (September 2002)

After: Back Foundation Garden looking south. (September 2008) My two sons and I built the sidewalk while Mr. Fix-it was deployed to Iraq. This sidewalk was the most expensive project in the garden. Since I built it I have sought alternatives to pavers; which are so much more cheaper.

Before: Backyard Northwest Corner (Summer 2001)

After: Backyard Northwest Corner (September 2008) Yup, those are my free bricks I received back in September from Adam, a fellow Freecycler. They are working their way into a new patio in this general vicinity. Actually-I am working them into a new patio, a post to come at a later date. I sure wish they could do it themselves!

Before: Backyard Looking from Deck Toward Pond to the West (Summer 2001)

After: Backyard Looking From Deck to Pond to the West (September 2008)

Before: Looking southwest from the deck (September 2001) Mr. Fix-it and a very young Jimmy are playing on a swing here.

Before: Looking Southwest from the Deck (Summer 2004)

After: Looking Southwest from the Deck (September 2008) Before: Looking east from the Southwest corner of the yard (Summer 2003)

After: Looking East from the Southwest corner of the yard (September 2008) The veggie garden is to the left, you can see the gourds growing all over the place. The grassy area is Mr. Fix-it's 'driveway' to his garage-a non-gardening area.
These two posts have been fun for me. I got to pull out old photos and really assess the garden and its changes in the past seven plus years. It has been a lot! But like all gardens, it is still continually evolving and changing. Just like life and us gardeners.

I also have to add a caveat to this post, when looking at all the photos one thing you can really notice is how many trees have been cut down. I must give total credit to Mr. Fix-it and his invaluable labor in cutting these trees down. He gets a bit offended if I don't include him and his labor, so I will make sure not to make that mistake again. He does help out quite a bit, but since he works SO much, the main part of the labor falls to me.

in the garden....