Before
On April 25, I posted about my back yard nightmare! You can visit the post here. The back of my house was a jungle I didn't know how to tame. Several years of neglect sprouted small trees and Privet in all my beds. What you can't see here is the tall wrought iron garden cart to the left and the five foot tall iron angel to the right.
Right?
Well take another look now!
In my book The Unfaithful Widow I talk about my garden. It is a garden full of memories more than one I plant in each year. Some of those memories were uncovered yesterday with the help of two great workers. A tree service I've used before came to clean my roof and gutters and get my yard back to where I can work in it again. There is still much to do, but a great start don't you think?
After
My vintage garden angel taller than I am.
There she is, my angel Anne, named for my late husband's cousin. She left here a year after he did. I found this angel at an antique store and knew I would always remember her when I looked at it. She has been hidden too long! Morning, I heard her voice in a soft whisper that brushed past me when I took this photo earlier. She was a psychic so you never know!
Garden cart and trellis topped with a huge rose bush ready to bloom!
The tall garden cart came from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens gift shop when I worked there part-time my first year alone. It was black, but a coat of pink paint made it perfect for a cottage garden. The back wood trellis was built by my husband over twenty-five years ago. Both are covered in roses that are ready to bloom. The bush came from a small plant purchased at the grocery store, grew out of control in its pot and was transplanted into the garden. With all the neglect, it comes back and blooms every year. Now I can see it! Look for photos when my roses take off.
Brace yourself for the next change. It gives me the willies actually, but everyone says Crepe Myrtles grow back. The one in my center back yard was cut back to the nubbins! I cringe on that, but it will be beautiufl again. Down my street the county has done the same with all the Crepe Myrtles that bloom there. I see new sprouts on them and it has only been two weeks since they were chopped down! My butterfly bushes grew into the top of the Crepe Myrtle, now are trimmed back and shaped. I can see the side chain link fence. The dogs love the freedome to run through the beds now! I feel like the world can peek in my yard and see me. Actually, beyond the fence is the rest of my property and a right-of-way that goes down to a creek. Visually it is so open now I feel exposed but there is a huge buffer between me and my neighbor!
Before
After. Ouch!
Bray can't hide in the butterfly bushes anymore!
A few more after shots of the yard!
Another Crepe Myrtle trimmed painfully. Trellis built by my husband many years ago. Remains of a David Austin rose bush by bottom window. One tiny pink bud on it! I bought that rose from a catalog as many years ago as the trellis was built and on occassion it blooms. It is amazing to me it is still alive.
Annabelle checks out the yard from my deck.
Annabelle prefers the view from the patio. She is my oldest dog (as in age) and the second rescue dog I adopted.
The Lady Of Lilburn has a clear view now that the Privet has been cut away. Small statues in the bed by the pea gravel patio are for Foxy and Jake, my old German Shepherds that lived a great life.
Another old iron piece in the yard and doesn't everyone need a plastic Flamingo, this one faded from the sun. End of the bed with the pink cart facing the outbuildings.
Rosemary for Remembrance
My Garden of Memories will bloom this year!
I see a party in the future! Perhaps I too am a psychic.
My Garden of Memories will bloom this year!
Dear Barb ~ I love your garden angel, tea cart, frog and other garden accoutrements. I can see a party happening there once you get it all set up the way you want.
ReplyDeleteI love the stone wall at the back of your deck, very nice and country feeling. You have a large piece of property and how nice that it runs down to a creek.
Your place is really wonderful and I'm glad you got back into the spirit of fixing it up, inside and out. You are inspiring me to do the same. Your roses sound very hardy. Do I see spiderwort blooms in your gardens?
Your jungle has been tamed, but oh my what you did to your poor crepe myrtle. :-( They call it 'Crepe Murder'. (I don't know if you'll be getting blooms this year or not). It sure has good thick trunks. It must be ancient. My trunks aren't that thick at all and I've had them a good number of years now. I have several of them and they should all be getting ready to bloom soon. My queen crepe is so big and is full of big leaves. We bought that in 2007 for our anniversary. We needed some shade on the east side of our cottage, where a pine tree had been lost in our neighbor's property and I had seen these around the county. Called nurseries and finally found one that had 'one', about 6' tall if that, now it's probably 10' tall.
Regular Crepe's sprout babies and I have dug them up, transplanting them here and there. They are really pretty when they are in bloom. I love the bark on their trunks too.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend playing in your cleaned out spaces. I can't wait to see your roses in bloom. I am excited and happy for you.
Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady
I didn't know they were going to cut the crepe myrtle that low. They are a tree service so I trust what they did. It just horrifies me to look at it for the moment. I would have liked it higher, but it will be interesting to see how it grows. They cut it back four years ago, not quite so severly, but not pretty either. It grew like wild fire. Right now I want to put a few fake blooms on it cause it seems so lonely. haha I really like a tall crepe myrtle. Yours sounds wonderful and is a 'memory' garden for you too. Hugs, B
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