This is the day that Tom began the work, March 31. Lucy had no idea how her yard was going to change!
The first job was to remove the old lamp post which was here when we bought the house in 1981. First he turned off the electricity, and then cut the wire where it went into the house. He took off the top part and then it was time for the tractor.
He pulled and pushed the post.
And while Lucy watched from inside,
The post was finally out of the ground and over the fence.
This is what it looked like.
Don't all farm girls dress like this?!
The next step in the making of the new garden was planting the seeds.
April 11
And a whole tray full of hollyhocks.
And a few weeks later on May 1
On April 16, Tom took down the fence that was in front, moved it to the side, and dug up the lawn with the tractor bucket. And then relaxed.
(taken through the screen so not clear)
By April 19, when Hazel Nina came for the day, Tom had used the tractor to put manure on the old lawn, and we experienced for the first time the joy we knew we would feel at being able to go into the house without being accompanied by the exuberant Miss Lucy. What a difference this little change has made in our stress levels! Now anyone can come, and we just let Lucy out the kitchen door, and people can come right in the front door.
This was the chief reason for the change, and the bonus reason has been a lovely garden right next to the patio.
Most of these daylilies were already there, growing on both sides of the fence. Now it is just an open space of daylilies. One evening a chicken crossed the road to check out the new garden.
The only new ones were the ones I bought in honor of Indy Thomas and actually planted on his brother's birthday, May 6
Indy Charmer and Indy Electrified
The Indy Charmer bloomed this year right around the day of Indy's first birthday!
An evening view of the garden on July 8
July 16
The hollyhocks in the corner (a whole post on them is coming up soon)
July 26
And here's a view on July 30 from the same perspective as the first picture in this (very long!) post.
Tom and I just couldn't be happier with this garden. I love the flowers and vegetables mixed together. I love the size and the location. We've had peas, chives, basil, lettuce, and parsley for weeks. The tomatoes I showed you the other day have turned color and they are delicious. The yellow beans, which Hazel planted all by herself, are flowering. One day, for some reason I can't remember, I walked outside with a potato in my hand. Hazel and her parents were in the garden, and Hazel asked if it was going to be planted, so I cut it up, and planted it and by gosh it has come up! I don't know if there is enough growing season left for us to get potatoes, but it was still so much fun that she had this idea and it worked.
Your new fence line is great. Doesn't it feel good to have a particular area for One's dog. I bet Lucy doesn't even mind. Your new garden looks fabulous. I would love a big dipper or two of manure to spread through out my flower beds. Your hollyhocks look lovely. Mine always get rust and/or big holey leaves. Must be the manure and not such heat and humidity like here.
ReplyDeleteYou won't believe this, Lisa - that's what my upcoming hollyhock post is going to be about. Rust!
DeleteMarvelous! Your post couldn't be long enough. I enjoyed each and every photo and all the details about the fence, garden and of course, Hazel Nina. It's always a joy to see your home, inside and out!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all you wrote!! It means so much to me.
DeleteWhat a fun post, Nan! Everything looks so beautiful. I'm looking forward to your hollyhock post because I have terrible rust problems with mine. They're one of my favorite flowers so I persist in having them.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you! And gosh, another with rust problems.
DeleteThis was a great morning coffee read for me, Nan, thank you! It was a lot of work by the looks of it, but very well worth it, I guess. As I keep saying (sorry if I am a bit boring there), your house (inside and out) looks always so inviting, so very much a HOME, not just a house.
ReplyDeleteSo good for Hazel to be able to grow up there!
I'm delighted that you read this then. I love what you said about our place. And yes, it is a great joy that Hazel lives just down the road. We were over the moon happy when Margaret asked all those years ago.
DeleteJust lovely - enjoyed reading of this joyful garden and all that went into its creation! What a loving atmosphere your home and garden exude!
ReplyDeleteMary
I am so pleased, so delighted that you liked reading this.And what a nice thing to say. Thanks so much.
DeleteWhat a wonderful chronicle of your garden, totally worthy of Gladys Taber, whom I am sure is looking down with a smile. And yes, I always wear my best yellow tutu skirt when I use a tractor, so Hazel is right in fashion. I can't wait to read about the hollyhocks, one of my favorite flowers. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteOh, boy, that would make me very happy!! I love your comment!
DeleteAh, the magic of transformation! Of having a plan and seeing it come to life! You have done well!
ReplyDeleteI'm the idea person and Tom is the doer! But this one was the perfect solution. We must say at least once a day how happy we are with the new arrangement. Thanks very much.
DeleteI have enjoyed reading through the posts showing the progress of your altered garden. I need to come up with an arrangement for planting that takes into consideration our need for a smaller garden that would be friendlier to aging knees. Of course any ideas I may have will have to be approved and implemented by the resident builder!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a kneeler. I stand and bend. Tom sits on an old milk crate. Maybe you could try that? And there's a seat/kneeler that Gardeners Supply sells. We have one and Tom loves it.
Deletehttp://www.gardeners.com/buy/deep-seat-garden-kneeler/40-009.html
Love what you have done. We moved out to a rural area 25 years ago and loved having gardens and peace and quiet. Sadly, people are moving out toward us and while our little habitat is still enjoyable, the noise of the "city folks" is not pleasant.
ReplyDeleteI love what you have done here and having a dog, I know what you mean by the stress of people coming in and out, worrying the dog will run off. Ours would. The patio is so pretty. Is that a chicken I see in one of your photos? Your flowers, as always are stunning. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon, sitting on the patio and reading, looking at your flowers.
Yes, that chicken wanted to see what the new garden was like. They live out in the pasture and barn but can get through the fence for occasional forays into the wide world. I haven't read out there, but maybe in another year or two. Right now whenever I'm there, I weed or pick food for supper. Or think about what I want to plant next year.
DeleteHazel is learning so much about gardening -- her own beans and watching the potato grow .... amazing stuff really for that little girl to know! I love her 'farm' boots! It's lovely to see the results of your great idea and so good that the necessary move for the dog's yard yielded such amazing side benefits.
ReplyDeleteToday she picked a tomato and she was so sure she would love it but nope! She offered it to the grownups and Lucy. She picks the basil and smells it. Yes, it is absolutely thrilling to me that this all worked out so very well!!
DeleteWell, this post has all the right details. I love seeing it evolve from a good idea and a plan into a mostly-finished garden! (I say mostly-finished because I imagine there are still tweaks you want to make?) And now we know why the chicken crossed the road: to get a look at the new garden! Perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks! And yes, all the gardens here change often. Plants divided, trees planted, on and on. I love the ongoingness of gardening.
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