Friday, July 19, 2013

Big changes at Ragna's garden

Regular readers will remember Ragna's garden from my previous posts and its presentation on local PBS gardening show Central Texas Gardener (CTG).  Soon after the CTG crew finished, Ragna began making big changes to her back garden.  She spent most of the last six months working on this major makeover which surprised many of us who loved the garden as it was.  But her roses had been affected by chilli thrips and she did not want to go through the process of treating them with chemicals.  She was also ready to cut back on maintenance and add more waterwise plants.

Here's a photo from last fall before she began removing the roses and making changes.  My post from spring 2012 will show more of how the garden looked back then.

 
Most of the roses went to a local gardener willing to treat for chilli thrips who happily dug and transported more than 40 plants after they went dormant over the winter.  Those of us who had enjoyed Ragna's garden with the roses were wondering how it would look without them.  The roses were the centerpiece of her garden and at the time it was hard to imagine how the garden would look as good with fewer roses.

I visited the garden in December and took some "before" photos which are "after" Ragna undid much of the garden by removing the roses.  This a good opportunity to see the structure and layout of her garden.  You can also see the use of bright color adds so much to the winter garden.


In order to prepare this large bed near the patio for the new, less thirsty plants, Ragna and husband Bob spent several weeks adding decomposed granite, a form of gravel, into the soil to improve drainage.


By April of 2013 the new scheme was beginning to fill in with the larkspur. 




To keep all the larkspur blooms blue, Ragna pulls the other colors so only the blue reseed.


The new plants are filling in near the shed



This white strawberry jar looks great filled with ghost plants against the background of Larkspur.


Jumping forward a few months to summer 2013, xeric plants and ornamental grasses have replaced the roses which previously filled this area near the wood tuteur.



Ornamental grasses like this Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Little Bunny' are blooming in the sunny part of the garden.

 
    

In the center of the garden you might not notice too many changes right away because the phlox are the focus of the summer garden.


The Phlox are incredible this year



John Fanick's Phlox, named for a local nurseryman, was discovered in an older neighborhood in San Antonio.
 



Ragna says her garden has never looked better.  I think it always looks good.
 

It's interesting to see how this cactus has grown in such a short time.

April 2013


June 2013


Ragna has added more succulents and xerophytic plants like this Dyckia 'Burgundy Ice', I loved the color on this one and it is supposed to be quite hardy.


Plenty of creatures to entertain in the garden


 Bougainvillea gorgeous as ever


Texas Star Lord Baltimore Hibiscus and White Orchid Tree.



It wouldn't be summer without bugs


There haven't been a lot of changes in the front but I thought you would enjoy seeing how it looks this summer.



This is the neighbor's driveway which Ragna planted.


She also planted this part of the neighbor's side yard which runs along the walkway to her backyard.


Narrow cactus fits in the side yard.


One last view of the back garden I want to show you and it is the first view of the back garden I see each visit.  When walking to the front door visitors can see right through that big front window on the right and across the house into the back garden.


The view to the back garden is a stunning sight.  Because a photo through the window doesn't show up quite as well as it does in person, Ragna generously let me take the photo below from inside the house near the window to show you the lovely view.


Following changes in the garden are fun and also show the importance of a good layout which allowed Ragna and Bob to accomplish a substantial transformation of their garden in an incredibly short time.

25 comments:

  1. I continue to enjoy all the assorted beds, but those bordered with larger rocks work so well. The Pennisetum you show looks far better than I see here, as odd-numbered clumps in gravel mulch - hers' really dances.

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    1. A bed filled with grasses always looks better than a few clumps. That works for just about every type of plant too.

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  2. Wow, that's quit a change. What a gifted gardener to be able to envision such a change. Like you, I loved the garden before and love it now. Thanks for sharing this transformation!

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  3. Kudos to Ragna and her husband for making such big changes, and in such a short amount of time! It looks wonderful now. Those tall Phlox are so pretty, and of course I love her garden art. But I also love all the new xeric plants she's added. Thanks so much for this post.

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  4. I was just there the other day. I see something new every time I take "the tour." I think if there was only one cactus in her yard it would still be unique!

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  5. Shirley, thanks for coming over and taking photos of the changes. The makeover has been pure joy. There's even been changes since these photos were taken! The big statues stay in the same place because Bob says he "ain't moving them no mo, no mo" ... LOL, but every thing else that will fit on a dolly or can be dug up is subject to getting moved around. Good thing I'm not addicted to certain plants, but more to the creative process. Xeric plants are waiting in the wings to replace anything that shows chilli thrips damage or becomes too much of a chore to water. Much appreciation for everyone's comments and for your own beautiful gardens and garden blogs from which I get a lot of ideas. I just wish you could all visit in person.

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    1. It was fun to follow the progress of the garden changes. Of course you're always changing things, that's part of the fun.

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  6. I especially love the white strawberry pot with the ghost plants...it reads like a sophisticated work of sculpture. I admire anyone who is willing to take on wholesale changes like that.

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  7. Great, another invasive pest. I had not heard of chilli thrips until now. Ragna's garden looks great and does not look like there were major changes recently. Were you an influence for the spiky plants?

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    1. The spiky plant influence in my yard is actually the other way around. I saw that local gardeners like Ragna mixed natives and spiky plants with cottage garden favorites for good results so Ragna's garden and a few trips to The Antique Rose Emporium certainly made a big impact.

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  8. It was beautiful with the Roses, but I think I actually like the "after" photos better. I can't believe how fast that Cactus grew! And her creative touches with the dragonflies, garden statues, and art add just the right whimsical touch! I love it!

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    1. I'm going to start watering my cactus more to see what happens.

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  9. I'm so excited to see the each process . Of course, I remember Ragna's garden well! The new garden looks gorgeous and more natural without roses. And what struck me is that the color using in the flower bed is limited to blue. We tend to plant a lot kind of flowers with different colors in a flower bed, do we?
    And the white strawberry jar filled with ghost plants looks so great, as if it were some artwork! Thank you for sharing, Shirley!!

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    1. Since I know how much you love roses, I'm glad you like the garden with fewer roses.

      The monochrome idea for the Larkspur is great and then it goes away when the other plants fill in.

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  10. I enjoyed her garden before with all its fabulous colour. I have to say though I do really love the changes she's made. The ornamental grasses and xeric plants look fabulous, and that Larkspur is simply beautiful.

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  11. A very beautiful and teeming garden. I love the variety and informal nature of it.

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  12. Ragna's garden looks wonderful in all seasons from the pictures you shared - amazing, amazing, amazing. I love her garden so much!

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  13. As sad as it must have been to let all those plants that she loved go, she's done a fabulous job renovating the garden...love those grasses!

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  14. I'm so glad to see you all have enjoyed seeing the changes and even how it looks in winter. I think we can all learn so much from seeing the structure of the garden.

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  15. Very colorful garden. Thanks for the tour. Jack

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  16. What a breathtaking view from the house. It looks so inviting.

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  17. She's doing an amazing job and who wouldn't want to come home to be greeted by that backyard view. Hurray for Bunny Tails that weave front and back together. Would kill for that strawberry jar of ghost plant. And you're right, the blue flowers in the background seal the deal on this landscape.

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  18. Shirley, blue larkspur and blue furniture, trellis. mosaic, vase - all these blue look very nice! I love white strawberry jar with succulents, great idea. Thank you for sharing!

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  19. Less water now and I bet less maintenance too -- good reasons to shake things up! I am impressed by how quickly her new garden is filling in. It looks great.

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  20. Both the before and afters are beautiful! It must be a relief to be able to use less water and no chemicals.

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