Remember……..

……..this…….?

                         

                After today,it looks like ……….

……….this……

  ………….and this……………

The gravel,leading to lake,is larger rock on a layer of small,pea sized gravel.

Even though the weather has turned cooler,it has been slow going.

As the pathway is widened,the gardens, on each side, have been weeded and thinned out.

I like the cleaner look.

Plants (Agapanthus,Farfugium,variegated Flax Lily,etc.) have been divided,transplanted,or just tossed out.

Some were just not working,anymore.

Some were planted when TheTree was there,and they just could not handle the almost full sun that now exists in the garden.

The rock border has been reworked.Now,it sits on a layer of gravel.

Hopefully,that should stop the erosion from the upper garden.

Pots of annuals for pops of color.

And a new seating area has been added.

But……

there is still much to be done……

There’s always one more thing…………..

Garden Reno………

One of the after effects of the kitchen renovation,was the garden and its pathways,

to say the least,

were left a mess.

Everything had settled.

Dirt covered everything.

Now that the weather is much cooler in the mornings,it was time to get out there and re-do everything.

The pathways, which I had put in after TheTree went down, were never quite right.

It was difficult to maneuver the garden wagon through the pathways.

The garden hose kept getting caught on everything.

Plants included.

Plus,there was still some grass that needed mowing.

I hate mowing!

Soooo,

working slowly……

baby steps

I have started….

Still to be done…..

Drainage, in the garden, is important here.So everything has to slope towards the lake.

And there is quite a difference,in height,between the house/pool area and the lake.

So,I need to have “levels.”

But the water run off from the gardens needs to filter through gravel.Or rocks.Or plants.

The above photo shows a rock/gravel drain-pathway to the lake.No chemical fertilizers are used at TheGreatWall,but I do tend to have an erosion problem.Because there is quite a slope in the yard,the gravel pathways slow down the erosion problem.

…..and when this is all complete there should be NO grass left in the back yard….

Nothing to mow!

I hate to mow!

Thanking the gardening Gods for cooler weather!

TheGreatWall is moving…..

….not really….

Just to a different part of the garden….

 

Due to new expansion of the HQ (the house),a portion of TheGreatWall has to be relocated…

A new raised bed was created…..

plantings include Wendy’s Wish Salvia,Giant Liriope,African Iris,and Italian Curled Parsley for a border.

Some green bean and Swiss Chard seeds were added for good measure,too.

Making use of the sunny space….

 

…but I had company….

this time,I made sure I had the new camera with me….

lovin’ this camera!

….of course,my ADHD kicked in….

African Iris

 

Alyssum

 

something self-seeded from the bird feeder (sunflower,perhaps?)

Cosmos and Kale,in the veggie garden

yep! I love this camera!

 

Only 3 more rows of block and 40 pavers to move….

 

Wanna help?

 

I thought that would be your answer….

:: sigh ::

One More Job Done….

The steps are finally finished!

YessireeBob!

 

.…even though Bob didn’t help one lick!….

 

Take a gander….

From a better angle…

Mondo Grass is planted in front of the blocks.With hopes,that,eventually,it will fill in the gaps.

 

A large section of the pathway,to the garden shed and well, has been straightened and raised….

Creating a larger garden area….

Planted with Indian Hawthorne (for a barrier between the veggie garden and the rest of the yard),Giant Liriope,variegated Liriope,Society Garlic,and more Mondo Grass for edging.Rain Lilies and a Blackberry Lily are also planted in this bed.They were planted here,before TheTree went down,and they have done quite well,so,here,they shall stay.

The upper area has been mulched,with Melaluca mulch.

 

Creating a pathway in front of the raised gardens…

The lower raised bed,has yellow African Irises-moved from the Roadside Garden,self-sown Melampodium,and some garlic and onion sets.

 

As I go along,I’ve been transplanting,weeding beds,and spreading compost and mulch,so it’s taking a little longer than I planned.Isn’t that always the case?

 

Hopefully…

 

…if life doesn’t get in the way…

 

next up,will be the main level….

 

I think I need gravel….

 

lots

and

lots

of gravel !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dad update:The plan is for him to leave the skilled nursing facility and return to his ALF,in another week or two.He will be more dependent on a wheelchair,than his walker,which he isn’t taking kindly to.Physically,he’s quite frail (the surgery to fix his hip took more out of him than he cares to admit),but mentally,he’s alert as ever.He’s looking forward to visiting the new pool and HIS orchids’ new home.I have shown him photos and he has expressed that it looks pretty good. He still needs to give his stamp of approval.His room is covered with pictures of a certain someone ….

–Is that Me?-

-yep,you-

which he shows off to everyone.

Baby Steps….

I have to come to realize,this rebuilding of TheGreatWall is gonna take baby steps.After one week of working on this re-building thing,and two vacation days from that other job I have to have…something about paying bills and supporting this garden habit I have acquired…it has come to this…

I, now, have steps…

...to the upper level…

Just a touch more dirt and the upper level will be ready for gravel and pavers.

…and a planter…

To fill the planter,I am leaning towards a Pindo Palm.It’s cold hardy.Native to this area,a slow grower,and will grow in a container.
This planter also provides some extra seating in the garden…I know.I sat on it enough,today…A nice place to stop and sit for a spell.
Next up…
-another,smaller,raised bed will go in front of the upper,large one
-re-do the pathway from the lower steps to the back.Weed,raise(it has always had a tendency to flood in the summer rains) and re-gravel
-more dirt for the upper level
-gravel
-pavers
-mulch pathways through the new areas
-plants!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isn’t it 5 o’clock somewhere?

A Day and a Half Later….

Yesterday,between the rain drops,quite a bit was accomplished towards reconstructing TheGreatWall.The upper raised bed was finished and planted…

I asked nicely.

I pleaded.

OK…I begged Erich,the Younger,to come over and help me move blocks.

See,the pool guys were really considerate when they tore down the original GreatWall.

 

They neatly stacked them up.And they did such a nice job of it,too…

 

On the far side of the house!

 

Sooo….

 

…they all have to be moved over to the other side of the house.

 

Even with the garden cart,they were just too heavy for me to move more than five at a time.He filled that wagon right to the top,and hauled like nobody’s business!

 

Of course,he dumped them in a pile,but I don’t care.

 

They’re on the right side of the house.

That’s all I care about.

The new steps were started….

But then the rain started in earnest,and I had to feed the boy.

Michael Chiarello’s Turkey Polpettone Sandwiches.

Get the recipe here.

 

Dee-lish!Quite easy to make,and I think they’re on the low-fat side…

 

After work,today,I started removing the Giant Liriope,that are in the way of the new steps.

Let me ask this…

Have you ever tried removing Giant Liriope that have been in the ground over twenty years? Covered with over at least foot deep mixture of sawdust and contractor’s dirt ?

This is as far as I got…

What I couldn’t dig out,I ended up cutting off.It was really starting to p..ss me off!

 

I think I hate Giant Liriope!

 

Anybody want some Giant Liriope?

 

It’s free…

I don’t deliver….

Been a little busy….

…lately….

 

TheGreatWall is returning!!!

 

Time to move all those landscaping blocks back to where they belong…

…One morning’s worth of work…

 

I did all that?

…. Day-um…

            … I’m good at this landscaping stuff…

 

…I guess it’s true what they say about planning things out beforehand…

 

One afternoon’s worth of work….

…I surprise myself,sometimes….

 

This raised bed will go up another row.The dirt …yucky contractor dirt…will be removed,and new soil and compost brought in.There will be another raised planter above this one,filled with the new sun loving Hostas.The raised bed,just below it,will be filled with Giant Liriope,and some of the self-seeded Guaras that I potted up.

There will be a pathway in front of the lower bed.For access to the new raised beds,and to the lowest level of the garden.To the very right,almost out of view,there is a palm that was relocated to the highest level.

 

Prepping for the new steps…

The steps will be larger and more sweeping.The Giant Liriope and Cinnamon Ferns still need to be removed and relocated.All of the pathways in the garden are going to be raised,to meet the new,higher level of the yard.

 

….I think I’m gonna be busy for quite awhile…..

….It just would be nice if certain people weren’t frolicking in the pool when someone else is working so hard….

Orchids A’Bloom,and New Editions…

The orchids have decided they like their new home.

Yessirree,Bob!

And are a bloomin’ away…

One of my Dad’s orchids.

And we have buds…

This is an orange ground orchid.

And just because I wanted it,

I bought a Cyclamen…

Why,I have no idea…

…it’s not gonna last too long…

But it is pretty looking.

And I wanted it!

So,I bought it.

So there!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Editions…

and not the boy band…

new editions to the gardens…!

another Simpson Stopper has come to reside here,

at The GreatWall…

I love this shrub.I really,really do.A Florida Native,and it can take anything!And smells good,in bloom,to boot!

and another garden is starting to take shape…

This one is opposite of the garden I last posted about.

Time to start thinking about sod,I guess….

Tomorrow…

IKEA!!!