Our big project this year - Progress report on page 3!

[Eeyore]

Due to expenses we have cut our project in 1/2 this year. Here are a few photos of then progress so far....

What we started with.... This is the old dog pen. Our dog passed away in December and we are not getting another one. I hope to put a memorial for him in this new garden.





The end of today.... We are tired!

[Lizcordysmum]

Lordy, I don't doubt it a bit...one mega job.

Just what do you have in mind for the space? My first ideas were based on a much more sprawl of a garden bed...I am having to regroup here.

I do not know....do you have a pond already? what about a Zen garden? a place for quiet repose?

I don't know if you want a quiet place, or if you want to zip the area up...remembering your dog as a pup and the joyfullness??? perhaps a suitable stone, with name, etc?

what is your lifestyle (sorry for that word) where do you see yourself/ves? Will this be a sitting place? almost an "outdoor room" kind of polace?

What aspect of YOU, and your new directions, do you want this space to reflect, along with the past? Maybe a small commenorative?

You see, I am a country garden type of person, what I'd suggest is a bit of here, a bit of there, an important part of me tucked under here/there, unobtrusively, but live in my memories.

when I looked at your new space, my first thought was "Zen." I don't know if this fits you. It must NOT be a place of sadness tho..it must be a place of reflectiveness and GROWTH.

Let me speak from my heart here...pups love new stuff, new interests, excitement in Mistress's voice, new experience...fun...laughter...when I think of losing mine, and those I have lost...I do my utmost to focus upon the joy they brought...the LIFE they brought.

I dunno Eeyore, maybe I sound like I'm babbling...but I am looking at 10 yr old dogs snoring away and thinking about what must come, and how I must handle it...and I must, for my own heart's sake, focus on the joyfullness of an amble, a tossed ball, a tumble on the bed, a ramble in the park, a gallop on the beach and a roll in something perfectly dreadful,

That slobbery ball brought to you, that leash dangling...those food and water dishes.

The bed, or the mat..that favourite toy, a brush and comb.

I keep on thinking Zen for your garden,a place of reflecting...a pond, bubbling water, fish...yes, bring them indoors for the Edmonton winters...

sorry, it's made me really reflective...I do NOT mean to bring you down...

Music, pan pipes..a rollick of flowers? An Adventure???

[Eeyore]

Picture this.... stepping stones along the path outlined... a seating area between the two poploars at this end.... shrubs along the chain link and the path beside the poplars. Some type of ground cover between the poplars, and lilies and other perennials along the stepping stone path. Thyme between the stones.....

[Lizcordysmum]

Yeah, I can see this...you are talking, relaxing, reflective...I THINK maybe we are on the same page.

I can smell the varieties of Thyme when I walk thru it...yes, get rid of the big concrete pads, and use flagstones....I see a pond, maybe one of those ones I really want, tall towers three different sizes, water pouring down, tumbling, off to the side, or maybe the middle, I dunno...I see fallen leaves/autumn, so you must do some SPRINTIME there too...you do not want endings, you want beginnings....yes, the path outlined..a meandering path. A here and there, pause and stop to sniff.


I am still seeing very Zen. I do not know if this is you. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. It is the present blank space. I do not want to fill it with busy-busy. I would do restful trees, bushes/shrubs. I would do some springtime for rebirth, some summer for ongoing, some Autumn for rest, some Winter for...

Winter...Winter is what I would want there...a Winter garden.

I am sorry, Eeyroe, this is how it affects me. I would create a Winter Garden there, shrubs, etc...a pictorial delight.

I am so sorry for sticking my nose in here, I plant rambling cottage gardens all loppsy-doodle and Nature makes the best of it and I take delight in what she does...and you want much more formal than I am.

I am talking off the top of my head, and we both know I have no formal training in anything but accountancy which is flipping useless.

It won't stop telling me ZEN. Less is more. Everything planted must have meaning to the person planting it.

Dang, I REALLY hate it when this happens, it makes me useless and really hung up on it.

sorry Eeyore.

Yr friend, Liz

[Eeyore]

This is a perfect area for a winter garden as it is readily visible from the living room, so yes, nice winter shrubs are a must! The big blocks are gone. I want low maintenance so the shrubs must be non suckering and not prone to aphids or other bugs. The perennials, must be the same! I want to enjoy my garden, not be a slave to it. Yes, I enjoy the labour... to an extent....

[Lizcordysmum]

Something striking with winter berries, colourful. Something engrossing with twisting branches...does the something Walking Stick grow and survive there?

something that always makes a statement...but not a loud obtrusive statement...something that makes you feel "that's exactly right for this space." and yet, it stands out and makes a statement.

Less is more. always.

and yet, you can sit out there, have your coffee in the morning, a drink at night, and you BELONG in that space, it was created for you, by you.

I see it as a restful place where a woman and her dog would sit and rest a spell...a place where work was done..well done, and deserv-ed rest time.

and THAT would be commenorative..

[Scrapinthehat]

That half of a project still looks like a pretty bigproject to me. I can totally picture what you've described, but would love more pics of your progress. Sorry to hear about your pup. I think a memorial plant or stone with name....or both....would be lovely. I have a fairly large dog run here that I slowly plan to take over...my pup is only 3...and I know that I'll want to remember her too.

[Venice]

The Twisted Filbert, also known as Harry Lauder's walking stick, and I believe Corkscrew Hazel?



I see where the 'zen' is coming from Liz. The way it's sitting now it does look a bit like a zen rock garden ehhehe. I think that's a cool way to go with a nice water feature.

But I do prefer a more lush, tropical feel. I would definitely be growing some morning glories on the chain link fence, and put some kind of arbor over the bench with perhaps a wisteria... or something. ahh so many ideas.

Ven

[kelly_m]

That's it!

Looks amazing, and don't doubt you are tired after slugging all those stones!!!

Can't wait to see it finished!

[Eeyore]

Harry Lauders Walking stick would be a challenge here. I am looking at the Twisty Baby Locust that Scrap mentioned a few weeks back.
Yes, either a doggie statchoo or a stone memorial of some kind.

I will post photos as we progress. There will be many annuals this year until we get all the plantings in which will likely take several years.