My house is tucked into a mini forest in the suburbs...my own private oasis, my little private slice of paradise...with trees all around, towering high above us, maple trees extending their big long branches dripping in full lush green leaves...to dapple the sunlight and protect us from the heat of summer. I have apple trees flanking both sides of my u-shape driveway, I have huge pine trees, cedar trees and the towering (my mind went blank here) trees...
However, with all these great trees comes the challenge to garden. I only have certain areas with full sun... one huge bed along my garage, which is loaded with plants. I have a herb garden, garlic bulbs growing, rose bushes, and loads of perennials. I am working on taming the other side, it is a beast...it really does need to be dug up and replanted but the job will be huge, so I have been holding off till we do some other work around the garage.
I have been busy working on thinning the branches in the trees that seperates my property from my neighbour. I started trimming almost immediately when I moved in just over a year ago. I find it very relaxing to trim the branches and remove dead wood. I want the kids to be able to walk or run through the trees without taking an eye out. Plus, I am hoping to improve my chances for the ferns and the woodland flowers to have more sunlight to grow. I am removing the wild buttercups that have tentacles that stretch for miles, I take great pride in ripping them out! I have also started transplanting shade loving plants to the bed I am creating along the tree line.
I discovered I have lots of beautiful moss covered rocks scattered throughout the woods. I also find them beneath the soil as I plant my new flowers. I also snagged some great deals at my local grocery store. It was closing the garden center for the season. They were giving away the tall grasses for free and you could fill one of those large trays with any amount of plants that you could squeeze in for the grand price of $2.00!!!! My kind of gardening!
I have also enjoyed planting some succulents into my rock borders. I also created some nice, low maintenance containers. I used different succulents then finished it off with moss from the woods which looks so pretty! Once the fall comes, I will plant the succulents into my rocks that border different beds and start fresh with new pots next year. 
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5 comments:
Your property sounds wonderful sounds like you have a big space to work with , I wish I could find deals like that on plants.
Chris
You are doing a wonderful job with a huge project! That is where you leave me in the dust...you are a true gardener, I am a planter and waterer and that's about it!! I can't wait to see your garden evolve over the years.
Linda
Thanks, I do have lots of space...weedy, overgrown space that daunts me on some days and on others inspires me to try and tame it.
Though, I look at my pictures and think I'm nutty to even think that it will ever be the garden I dream of.
You're not nutty! In fact, it is different than starting from scratch with a blank canvas, but just as intimidating and expensive. At least you know what you are doing. Cut yourself some slack...it is a process, you're going to be there a lot of years. You don't want to get bored too soon!!
Linda
Oh, I wish you could come to my house and give me some advice. We too are shade gardeners, but we are also cursed with clay soil. I wish my garden looked as nice as yours. I am looking forward to seeing more pictures.
Heather
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