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Here's how it looked last fall. Not bad, but over the winter we added a tank to the center of the circle garden for a different look. That's not the most surprising thing about the view.
Just five years ago in Spring 2009 the area looked like this. Now that's a big improvement! We did almost everything ourselves except the new property line fence.
Yes, that really is the same spot. Overall I like the changes to the garden, but it's always good to take "stock" of possible improvements. A closeup of the stock tank garden shows it needs color compared to last year. The lighter colors of the Verbena bonariensis might not be enough here. The Clammy Weed I let grow while other plants are filling in will be removed before it goes to seed and I will replace them with something more colorful. Those silvery plants growing over the sides are Wooly stemodia which are thriving here. There are only two now because I want to see how they look at the end of August before adding more. It's a trick I've learned for gardening in our hot summers and the same goes for winter. Test a few plants first, then invest in more.
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Looking toward the front of the house we can also see many changes over time. Two years ago we were preparing to replace the front fence. Plants are just beginning to fill in the side borders and the front has a pile of mulch.
Today after we finished planting the front area along the fence it looks so much better. Most of plants were transplanted from other areas of the garden which is something that could not have happened five years ago since I didn't have any plants to divide!
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It's fun to see the borders complete around the buffalo grass lawn. So many positive changes are a good way to celebrate the transition from Spring to Summer which is why I'm linking with Donna's Seasonal Celebrations at Garden's Eye View.
Very impressive, Shirley! It's so fun (and so educational) to see "before" and "after" photos. You've done a wonderful jobe improving that "blank slate" plot!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of seeing the before photos and I often think a blank slate would have been easier than the weedy mess we started with.
DeleteSometimes we need to be reminded of the progress resulting from hard work. Your photos do that beautifully!
ReplyDeleteThis spring after a hard winter I find myself needing to do that more often.
DeleteI love your changes! The stock tank planter is a great focal point in the center of your circle garden too.
ReplyDeleteImpressive change Shirley, you guys have done a fantastic job!
ReplyDeleteWow! It's come a long way, in a short time.
ReplyDeleteI love befores and afters. Yours is great.
Shirley! My oh my how much that has changed just even since I was there last!!!! Awesome!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is such fun to build an interesting landscape that invites a walk to explore - when we started with a flat blank slate. Yours a lawn, and ours a vegetable patch.
ReplyDeleteShirley the transformation here is stunning and inspirational. I am having to really be patient and watch my garden grow this year so I can get a true assessment of the changes that are needed. Thanks for the inspiration to keep going with it as I am not so patient. And thank you for joining in to Seasonal Celebrations with your wonderful post.
ReplyDeletePatience is not easy in gardening. Too many plants have been lost to heat and cold so I am learning to observe.
DeleteOooooh. I love before and after shots. Always have. To me they are one of the best ways to assess progress and remind yourself of how far an area has come and boy oh boy have your areas come a long way. A real testimony to your hard work and perseverance.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great tip about starting with a few plants and waiting to see how they do before adding more. I'm not always patient enough and as often as not learn the hard way that certain plants simply won't work in our microclimate. If you do like the stemodia, it is easy to divide. I used to take trimmings and simply stick the ends in the dirt. With just a little watering they root and establish.
That's a good idea Deb, I have pretty good success with propagating plants and I had thought the stemodia looked easy. I might even try setting a rock or two on some of those trailing pieces this summer.
ReplyDeleteBig improvement is right!!! It looks beautiful and so colorful!!!! Had fun meeting you yesterday! So glad you stopped in - I enjoyed meeting your friends as well!
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed meeting and visiting with you as well. It's always a pleasure to visit Vivero to shop such great plants in top condition. My friends enjoyed it too so I think we have another stop added to our future field trip list.
DeleteI like to journal changes photographically also. It's so much easier than writing everything down.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in San Antonio I was amazed at the different species grown in the subtropical climate.
I used to call on Casa Verde greenhouse (client) there and they carried stock from Mountain States Nursery. They are wholesale but used to sell retail occasionally.
I have heard that Casa Verde will sell retail and I have also been told quite directly that they will not. It must be that they have some long time retail customers so I haven't tried it myself. I do have a few favorite places for plants.
DeleteThis is quite a transformation, Shirley--lovely! I think your idea of investing in just a couple of plants to see how they do in your garden is a very good idea. Of course, I tend to be a plant collector and buy one of this and one of that, anyway:)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy all types of plants also and I have areas for my collected plants too.
DeleteNice before and after shots. I flipped back and forth between the first two photos several times to see how much the plants grew in such a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteWe had a lot of rain this spring with thunderstorms which really gave them a good burst of growth.
DeleteIt looks great! It is so satisfying to see our gardens evolve, especially when the labor has been ours. I think adding the stock tank was a great move. It adds a lot of interest and height. :o)
ReplyDeleteI do like the height and the opportunity to put some trailing plants in the sun.
DeleteI'm thrilled to see this post. Your garden has improved!! Especially a tank you've added looks nice!!! Love the silvery plants, like Wooly stemodia:) I want to have it. But your idea "Test a few plants first, then invest in more" sounds great, so I'll try to have a few pots for now. Look forward to seeing how the Wooly stemodia goes in your garden:)
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