A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs New Garden Area - Ideas?

It's about 3 ft away from the garage. We can't yank it out, so we're digging until we get to the bottom and see what (if anything) it's attached too. The house and garage were built in 1926 and the old fire insurance records (which only date to the 40's) say that the garage was a "carriage house". So maybe something related to carriages--like a footstep or something.

Maybe it's buried treasure. I was thinking an old lightning rod set up, we have them running underground from our barn.

Well, we got it out! The hole we dug was deep enough for me to stand in and the bottom of my rib cage to be at ground level. So, I'd say around 4 feet down. It looks like an old footstep for a carriage or maybe a really short awning for a house window. There was a lot of charcoal down there too so they must've dumped out a BBQ when they were bury-ing this metal thing. On the plus side, I now know that our dirt (which is mostly sand) gets even more sandy the deeper you dig. It's almost pure sand at 4 ft. Really clean looking too--a reddish-blonde color. Which is really wierd I think, but good for drainage.

Oh, did I mention that this whole area used to be a landfill? And that with the house being as old as it is, there are probably a lot of places in the yard that were used as trash/burn pits. We're always finding porcelain, glass bits and nails and old electric conduits.

omg, I'm expecting!! Expecting new plants that is! Here's my 'ultrasound' I can't believe cheapy hubby let me buy the expensive plants!

That is awesome. I'm so glad for you. It sounds like you'll be able to level the sandy dirt you have several inches lower when you fill in the hole. That way you'll have space for a couple of inches of compost and then your mulch.

Great. We'll want pics of your 'new arrival' when it lands

Oh, I will. Maybe I can even convince DH to go make me an arbor at my parents house in the next week. Wouldn't the be great? We have the area all dug up. Just need to give it a nice little slope and pick up some compost, since mine isn't done yet, for the planting holes.

I am a little worried. It just occurred to me that I haven't received a confirmation email from the company I purchased the clematis's from on the 17th). When I tried to log in to my account there it couldn't log me in. I sent the company an email and I hope to hear back from them in a day or two. I feel so stupid now for not printing off the receipt they provide. I always do and I was in a hurry and didn't. Doesn't that just figure? I have the worst luck sometimes.

If you remember the name of the company and where they are located try getting their phone number and giving them a call. Here is a free directory assistance number 1-800-373-3411. Or if you think they have a toll free number then use 1-800-555-1212 it still works. Or at least it did the last time I used it this year.

I'm assuming they are just having computer problems. It sure does happen from time to time. Did you check to see if the flower had been charged to your account?

Okay, I am amazed. I emailed the company (brushwood nursery) last night at about midnight and I had a reply before 8 am!!! Wow! Come to find out, I'm an idiot and can't type my own email address correctly. He changed that for me and also said he'd put some extra tracking info on the package because I was concerned about the order. Dan also told me that it would more than likely be here by FRIDAY!! What a great company to respond so quickly, be so friendly, and to be so accommodating. Now I am really excited to meet my new babies.

Thanks for the info, Tammy, I'm going to write that down and stick it on my list on the fridge. I never know when I'll need that sort of info.

Have you decided exactly what you are going to do in the whole area?

Not yet. I've got a working plan in mind though. An arbor in the back with the pink clematis and the other plants I mentioned earlier. I'm not sure where everything is going--I'll plan that out as I get the plants. I will be using lots of mulch and either rough cut slabs of rock arranged into stepping stones like This or mulch nuggets for the path which winds towards the back. Oh, and a pond which DH really wants a low waterfall on... Thats about it though.

That sounds great Sarah! Can't wait to see pics of the progress!

Thanks! I'm supposed to level it out this afternoon and then DH will till it up tonight. I'll buy a few bags of compost and maybe do some arbor hunting and see if we can find a cheap one or just have DH make it. I don't know what kind of shaped arbor I want with a rounded top or a flat top...

Cool, I'm searching up pics of arbours as well. I want one that's rustic looking and made out of cedar logs. Are you thinking of a wooden arbor?

I was thinking of something maybe wrought iron. I really like the look of wrought iron. I found this one that I absolutely adore but it there is 2 problems with it the first is that it costs $1200 and the other is that it isn't going to work in this area. This one is probably more of what I'm going to get. Due to cost, more than likely my father or hubby will make me one out of wood that I'll just stain a lavender like Lyn suggested earlier. I might check local antique dealers though, so if they've got something cheap and functional.

On the old website in the craft room there was a guy that posted a couple of times. He worked in wrought iron. Maybe if you could get to that post and e-mail him he could come up with something for you at a more reasonable cost. It's just an idea.

Or if your hubby is handy I've seen some made from copper tubing that could me painted to look similar to wrought iron. Again just a thought.

Tammy, he(Dan) was from Halifax here in Canada. Shipping would be hundreds of dollars.

I've seen some at the Wal-mart, quite nice also. My only recommendation is to give it a good coat of car wax to keep the rust away.

There is an iron one at lowes (online) for $100. But that, really, is more than I'm wanting to spend. I'm still waiting on the antique thing DH works with a very, very frequent antique-er who should be able to tell me if I can find something in my price range.

Guess what? We got the area leveled, tilled, raked, and re-raked this evening! Woohoo!!

Well, we got 7 inches of rain in about 4 hours today. And guess what? Almost no flooding in our usually flooded garage! The only problem is we have huge holes in the garden area where the runoff from the roof pounded down holes in our sandy soil. Maybe if we get some mulch down it will break the fall (and holes) of the dripline?

put gravel down on the drip line. It will stay put, mulch will not. Hope that won't cramp your landscaping.

I had the same problem. I used cedar rails for the back side of my landscaping beds and lined it up with the drip line.

I hope to get my gutters soon. I only have it on the back entrance.

After checking it out in daylight, the holes are at most only an inch deep. Our biggest problem is the 4 ft deep hole we dug to get that metal out -- the hole collapse in on itself and now we've get a 6inch deep hole from that. Easily fixed though. We went out tuesday night and priced stones, plants, mulch, and arbors for the area. Even found an entire pond kit for 100 bucks--with fountain, liner, pump and filter--we didn't think that was too bad. Haven't bought anything yet. Just waiting on my paycheck. I did order an arbor off ebay, This is what it looks like Just something nice and simple and thin.

Okay, I've NEVER ordered from a nursery before and wasn't sure what to expect. The local nursery (in town) had about 2 dozen clematis's--all in half gallon plastic pots. They were, at best, 6 inches tall and maybe 4 sets of leaves. I was expecting half that for a mail order nursery. This is what I got:



The plant itself is almost (not including pot) 15inches tall! I am SOOO impressed. Don't know if I'm allowed, but I'd highly recommend Brushwood Nursery for vining plants (it's all they sell). This is much, much nicer than any other clematis I've seen!! Okay, okay, now that I've let you all know they're here, I'll take them out and give them a good drink and a nice breeze and some shade...

Outstanding job. Those plants look like they are in the best of health. I'll definitely remember them for any vines I want. Thanks for the info.

What's the names of the clematis' that you just bought?

This post is impressive. Such great ideas.

My beloved clematis's are Hagley Hybrid. Six inch, mauve flowers that, slowly, fade to white. It blooms June-September.

The help everyone has given me, thus far, has been outstanding. I had no idea where to even start and now I'm doing my best to eliminate ideas, and it's difficult!! We'll see how good I am at integrating when all is said and done.

Ya, we're good at planning gardens and spending other peoples money

lol@tamara, that was a good one tamara.

My husband really appreciates that last part.

So I went out and spend $29.91 at the nursery and didn't get much of anything that was on my list. My first problem was they didn't have most of the plants that their website said they had. My second problem was a little girl was being VERY bad, and the third was that it started POURING down as I was making my decisions. Literally, my clothes were plastered to my body, my hair soaked through, in less than 3 minutes. Here is what I came home with:
Sweet potato vine (lime green one)
Loose strife (burgundy foliage, shade tolerant, already 3 ft tall)
Delphinium (pink flowers, in a gallon bucket, 2 ft tall at least, for $3, part shade)
Bloodleaf (very neato)
Coleus-green edges, burgundy fading to blood red towards the center
Red Monarda (already almost 3 ft tall, shade tolerant)
Perilla, Magilla purpurpea (shade, red/pink foliage)
I wasn't about to spend over $10 on their astilbe's and couldn't find that japanese forest grass. I guess I'll just keep looking and snatch up the remainders at other stores/nurseries.

Great choice all the same. I love Monarda but can't seem to over winter it here.

I'm still going to try for astilbe, that Japanese forest grass (I will not be going into any nursery asking for 'areola grass' though), and the key lime pie heuchera. Now I need to figure where I'm going to put what I have, what I will have, and what is coming... It's supposed to rain for a few days, so I've got time to decide.

Sarah, if your anything like me you'll move it anyway. I'd make a plan, plant it all then move it all around . Poor little plants were tough.

That sounds like me. And then move it still another time lol. Some of them I've managed to move every year.

I called about my most anticipated plant for this garden, the japanese forest grass. When I called, I refrained from mentioning the cultivar name, and he started reading the names from a list and when he got to 'aureola' he paused, then goes, "ummmmm, aurora." Anyway, they are all out for the season. I guess I should start checking other nurseries. I don't really want to though.

I have a suspicion that I'll be moving them around a lot too. Just trying to figure out what goes where and looks best next to what.

I am so excited! Today Adam re-raked the area, then being anal retentive, raked it again, got a 2x4 and leveled it twice. Then went through it and filled in the "holes" his imagination saw. And, finally, he leveled it again. After only 2 1/2 hours of this, he was finished and we positioned my new stepping stones. After that he dumped in my bags of pine mulch. I've laid out my plants and transplanted my Japanese painted fern into the area. I'm still waiting on my arbor. But I'm so thrilled!! The garden is actually being completed. Although it has poured everyday since Wednesday (excepting today) it is still supposed to rain for the next few days. I hope it is dry long enough tomorrow for me to get the plants planted. I'll also take some pics tomorrow for you all to oogle.

The next step will be to remove bricks and plants from the area that is from the garage to the tall phlox/monarda area. This is, mainly, our pond area with a few stepping stones to go around. Like I said, more pics tomorrow, as long as it isn't raining.

I can't wait for the pictures. I'm so excited you'd think it was my garden that was getting the remake lol.

The promised pic is here at last. A few things aren't finished, like painting the water-heater vent, and the final arrangement and planting of the plants. If you can see that line of filth/decayed shingles on the side of the garage, that is about how high up the bricks went. The mulch is about 2 inches thick. Is that deep enough to prevent weeds? I should've laid down newspaper but I didn't have any...