Saturday, June 6, 2009

I hope they live!

The odd 12'x12' square concrete foundation outside our front door... It was there when we bought the place... we assume someone wanted to put in a garage at one point and it never happened.

My vision is to turn it into a peaceful oasis to sit in.

It is completely shaded by our house in the afternoon which makes it a perfect afternoon haunt in the heat of summer.


My friend Ann has a gorgeous garden and is an AVID gardener and when I say avid, I might mean rabid.


She had a ton of hardy, full sun, perennials she needed to divide. I went to her house and brought home ajuga (ground cover), sedum (ground cover), perennial geranium, mountain bluet, chives, oregano, parsley, lambs ear... other things I can't 'member right now...



I put in the brick path with a spot for a nice bench or a couple chairs. I'd LOVE to find one of those old 1950's metal gliders... not sure what will end up there. Something fun, funky and comfy.


Now ze garden square looks like zees! (say in French accent)




Everything is majorly stressed. It all looks wilted and as if it wants to die.
I watered it well and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will grow, flourish and take over the rest of my square! Ann even had some horse tail bog plant and some miniature cat tails for my pond!

It was like winning the plant lottery. Made my heart go pitter pat at rapid rates....

She also gave me this... it's a cotoneaster. She hated it. Tried to kill it 3 times and it kept coming back. We have no idea if it will transplant or not... all we can do is try and if it doesn't work, Ann's happy cuz it is out of her garden.


Damn.


I'se tired now. I'se gots me a beer. Happy Saturday night!

12 comments:

Heather said...

I love the brick path! You are so creative! I hope it all lives too!

Kelley said...

Avid= Rabid... yep, that sounds like Ann!! : )
Can't wait to see what takes and how it goes!!

Foxxy said...

Looks like you have an excellent start to your own little CO oasis. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Cheryl said...

Ha, ha, you make gardening sound like a real adventure. Looks really great, especially the flowers and the brick path. Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz though, follow the yellow brick road, follow the, follow the...oh, we're here already!

DebH said...

I just emptied my back yard of a pile of cement chunks and see inspiration in your creation...I am going to have to have a nice beer drinking-feet-up-on-a-chair spot myself! I have about 5 pallets of red brick we bought a couple of years ago at a State auction for a few bucks. I like your pattern and am thinking I may copy!!

Shanster said...

Heather - Thanks! I try to find uses for cheap or free things I pick up along the way!

Kelley and Foxxy - Me too!

Cheryl - but where can I find more members of the Lollipop Guild?

DebH - oh yeah - if you have FIVE pallets (drool, drool) then you could make a really great patio area! We got these bricks for a few bones from an ad in the paper. They were in a field and you had to go pick them up, Furry Husband kept asking, but what are we going to DO with all of these?

olivia said...

Hey, that looks great! Love that brick walkway. I hope that the plants have settled in and are looking more perky for you.

Heather said...

When do the wine bottles get planted?

Heather said...

Wait, wait, do I see them in the first picture?

Shanster said...

Olivia - they are looking better - still not worthy of any magazine shots but I think most everything is going to make it! The cool wet weather we've had is good for the plants...

Heather - oh yeah, since the ground is so wet, I should get my butt in gear and get more in the ground!

I was thinking I should outline each plant with wine bottles but decided that would be WAY too much work and would prevent the growth and spread of the new plants...

I'll stick with the border of the concrete... maybe add a few here and there elsewhere...

You can see them in both pix on the far left.. they go almost to the end. They are dirty from all the rain and mud in the 2nd pix!

Heather said...

Hate to point it out to ya, but plant too many bottles and your neighbors might think you have a...ahem... 'problem'... Though bottles along the brick path could be cool. OhOhOh!!! How about you plant them along the path and every 5-6 bottles you plant one right side up and put a candle in it for special evenings for mood lighting!!!!

Shanster said...

Oh Heather, they already think we are drunkards!! I caught one of the neighbors kids looking thru our recycle bin out by the curb on trash day... it was literally OVERFLOWING with wine and beer bottles... I'm sure he told his parents about it!

Furry Husband has so much breakage and stuff from work... I sorta LIKE being the object of suspicion.

Only all the neighbors keep asking what I'm growing in the wine bottles I've planted! They think it's some sort of amazing gardening greenhouse something or other...

Nope.

Girl jus' plantin' wine bottles. I get a lot of odd looks.

I absolutely LOVE your idea of putting some candles in some planted right side up...

You are a GENIUS!