That must be the secret--the regular deep watering combined with full sun.

Newyorkrita said:Beautiful, everyone beautiful.

This is really not the best time for pictures of my front yard but I just took some anyway.

Front yard from the street.

Holy hardscaping, @newyorkrita! It's just gorgeous.

@catmint20906, @speediebean, @roses_r_red, beautiful blooms, now I want to see some wide shots of the whole yard!

LOL Karen--I was just saying to myself, 'Maybe I should get some whole-yard pics'! okay, working on it... ;-)

I always thought that the look of "secret garden" is a very private and pleasant look. I love the paver/stone work everywhere! Our property was just 2 1/2 flat acres with a house plopped right in the middle. My plan was to create a secret garden just outside the side entrance. Nope!! That's where the well, propane and generator were going to live!!

LOL, Teri--isn't that how it always works? A secret, cloistered garden does sound like a great idea.

I think I have some wide shots in post 671763. Do you want them from a further distance??

Oops, sorry @Roses_R_Red, I loved your pictures! I'm still trying to learn all these screennames.... I meant to say that I really appreciated your mini-tour. Sorry! My favorite of yours is actually one of the last ones with the picture of the purple clematis with the pink rose. I never used to like pink, but I'm starting to love those colors together.

I love these but they are like weeds. We have them in the front of the house here and there. Our plants are just all over the place because of the trees. Mostly containers on my side of the house.


The front of the house if pretty plain when the rodies are over.


This is our field of daffodils we raise to sell.


These are some of the glads we grew to sell.


Little by little I will get time to show you around the farm. Hope it is not too much of a bore since there are no beautiful gardens....just flowers here and there. I do think touring a Christmas Tree Farm in August could be fun.

No problem about the names, Karen. I usually volunteer to bring name tags to whatever group function I'm invited to because I CANNOT remember names.

JB, I'd love to have a tour around your farm and learn about how you get everything done.

Oh thanks, Teri! I'm not alone with terrible name recall, then!

Roses_R_Red said: JB, I'd love to have a tour around your farm and learn about how you get everything done.

JB, what gorgeous glads! And those daffs look beautiful! That row of rhodies on the side of your house is also gorgeous! And I love your Black eyed susans--I'm a total sucker for them, even after 8 years now in MD.

I'd totally love a tour of your farm! It looks so peaceful there!

typwc said:

Holy hardscaping, @newyorkrita! It's just gorgeous.

@catmint20906, @speediebean, @roses_r_red, beautiful blooms, now I want to see some wide shots of the whole yard! :)

Thank you.It took me years and was done in stages.

okay, I tried to get wider shots of my yardening area. What strikes me most is how much prettier my close-up shots are!

Here's the front of the house. It's the area where I have the least going on in terms of perennials. It's northern exposure--mostly some morning sun or dappled afternoon sun. You can see my pink Dogwood on the left, and some branches from the Redbud on the right. The Redbud in particular is difficult to grow anything under because of the extensive root system. I have annuals planted on the steps going up to the porch, and a mix of perennials and annuals by the front porch. There are a lot of mature azaleas left for me by the previous owner.


My backyard is where most of my gardening 'action' is. ;-) However, this 'action' (such as it is ) is spread out across different spots, so I tend to think of my yard as a set of clusters. The first cluster is an L-shaped bed that outlines part of my back patio. I call it my L-shaped bed (as you can tell, I've always been high on the creative-naming dimension-haha). It's hard to capture in a single photo because of its shape and size. Here's a photo looking on the long 'vertical' side towards the 90-degree angle where it meets the shorter 'horizontal' side.


The 'vertical' side faces towards the side of the yard where the bird feeder is


and the 'horizontal' side faces towards the back of the yard


Looking into the patio from the 'vertical' part of the L, you can see that there is an old firepit turned planter and behind that is a good-sized square-shaped bed which I call my 'square bed'. Sorry, I keep laughing at myself for my lack of naming creativity! So here is my pit/planter and 'square' area from different angles. My Harry Lauder tree is in the center of the square. It all looks like a jumble in these photos, but I like to think it looks pretty on the close-ups. ;-)


Then I have space by the back porch itself. There are 4 smallish, separate beds along there.


Then I have an open yard area with a birdfeeder and a new little garden patch I started this year.


I have the back of my yard which remains underutilized. The most interesting thing I have going there is my project to convert the old clothesline into a support structure for wisteria and other climbers. The left hand poles are now pretty well covered by my native wisteria. Still working on the right hand poles.


Finally, there is the shed, which is in the left back corner of the yard. Behind the shed is a difficult spot for me that I'm still working on.



okay, *whew* that's my tour. Hopefully you all will be able to see it someday in person!

How absolutely lovely it is, so many different beautiful flowers and plants. The Pink Dogwood must be old. It is so big. We have one out back of the house and it is just a wonderful tree to have at any type home. I like the idea of using the old wash line posts for gardening....I tried that one time in another house I had and it is not as easy as people may think. I finally did what it looks like you did, put bird feeders on it and hanging baskets.Amazing I also had an old fireplace in the back of my yard at the farm I had. That was the thing years ago because no one had propane grills. Your house must be an older home. It is certainly warm and homey looking. How do you manage to keep the weeds down????

I think it looks great, Catmint! I'm sure the butterflies and bees love it as much as you do. Wow, you must be as busy as a bee back there. So many things are in bloom! It is beautiful and happy, and it shows your personality too. Now I feel like I can really appreciate your close-up pictures because I have a bit more of a reference.
I'll have to post more pictures of my backyard for you too, but it'll have to wait till the painting's done.... *sigh*

Those are GREAT pictures, Cat. They really give us a warm and fuzzy feel for the place. I happen to think that the "pretty" close ups feel as though I'm looking thru a catalog. These pictures, however, invite us into your garden!!

It all looks really nice to me!

I have an area away from the house that's mostly wild growth and an unattractive tree line. A few years ago, I weed whacked the rough brush until I came to the trees, put down lots of corrugate and weed mat, and then had a whole load of topsoil (town was giving it free) amended and dumped over the top. I use part of this area to experiment with tiny immature shrubs that I buy from e bay or a co-op(very inexpensive) and whatever else I come across. I covered this whole area with straw last before the winter and when I needed replacements for my shrubs that didn't make it thru the winter, I took a few from this far away "yuk" bed and used them for replacements. It takes a few years to get a shrub large enough to look like anything, but I don't mind them being in this far away bed. The bed that I'm speaking of was made just a short distance from where the tractor is headed. The bed closer is one that was made the year before.

Thanks so much you guys--you are all very kind!

JB, it is one of those 1950s postwar Capes that were built everywhere in this area back then. It only had one previous owner and she loved to garden and bequeathed me wonderful soil and a few permanent offerings, like the Dogwood and Redbud. The sweet elderly woman next door can tell me all about the history of everything--e.g., the Redbud was a cutting off of *her* Redbud, and one of my rose bushes was a gift from the previous owner's son, and so on. It's nice. I like that about this house. That is too funny that you also had an old firepit and did creative things with a clothesline! :-)

Typ, it definitely keeps me busy that's for sure! I love going out and watching all the pollinators buzz and flutter around. That painting sounds like quite the project!! Which rooms are you painting? Any particular color? :-)

Aww, thanks, Roses! I had not thought about the different effect of close-ups versus seeing the whole garden, but I see what you're saying! :-)

well, sure wish I could have you all down here in person! Need to work on the margarita mix, though... ;-)

Roses, that is such a cool idea--to have a bed devoted to experimenting with new shrubs and things. I have to say it does not look at all 'yuk' to me, but very pretty! What kinds of shrubs are you playing with there right now?