Your beds are fabulous! Wish more people would show photos of their landscaping and beds. Your yard is a showpiece, really enjoyed the photos and hope you post more!
Judith

WOW! Amazing rock work!!!!!! Beautiful !!! All Of It. WONDERFUL.

WOW, everything is stunning. I know how hard that New England soil it takes a lot of back breaking work to dig out those rocks, you have more energy than me.
Linda

This posting came at just the right time. I'm planning out my beds here. Yours are beautiful! Love the rock edges on the beds. We have heavy clay soil and usually I can't even get the shovel into it. DH gave up and now uses the tractor and loader to dig, easier on the back. What do you use for mulch on your beds? Right now I use straw since I can get lots from my BIL who's a farmer. Thanks for posting your beautiful garden. Marg

THANK YOU very much for your responses!
I appreciate your positive feedback. Sometimes I feel like my raised beds are a little haphazard-looking compared to ones that are built using those professional landscaping rocks (you know the ones...they are perfect and flat so they make for easy stacking). The rocks I dig up are anything but perfect. They're all mishapen and definitely ugly but since they are FREE they get used up!
It is a challenge to make the beds not only look fairly good, but to keep the rocks balanced and to stay in place.

Marg...for this newly-made bed I used pine bark mulch but for most of my beds (to be cost effective) I use shredded leaves I grind up each fall. Because I have so many trees, there are oodles of leaves every year that need to be raked up and with a leaf shredder it makes loads of lovely mulch. Best of all, it's free! I also collect newly fallen pine straw and have used that as well since we have a lot of huge pines.

Celeste

well,Celeste, you just answered the question I was fixing to ask when you said hard to balance the rocks so they will stay..I wondered if you used a little cement between the rocks to hold the in place so they wont fall over of slide off. Your border gardens are beautiful.I love the way you have the borders,and those rocks, too.What back breaking work it is to dig up all them rocks, then more work to c arry them and stack them up to build them beds.Bet you have lots of back problems, too.Your beds and flowers are so pretty,you have created a show place, so pretty.its been raining here all day, just light rain, so far,and suppose to rain all night and tomorrow and tomorrow night too,into wednesday.I wish we would have got some of this rain back in the summer, sure dont need any more now.Thank you for posting your gorgeous pictures,I really do injoy them.

Jean

Just the zip we need now after bloom season. So much color.

I too use rocks we find around the property although I don't dig for them LOL. I still have a ton of rocks from our old barn foundation. The barn was torn down several years ago and I've slowly been "mining" the stones out. This year I think will be the year I get them all hauled out and flatten the area or so I hope ;-).

Julia

Your beds are beautiful, Celeste. I am a real fan of rocks, but our ground is clay, not rock, so any I dig up are too small. I can see you have been extremely busy, and I will try not to whine since I don't have rocks to deal with. The rock walls of the raised beds are really lovely!

And I am so glad you included the photos of the blooming plants...so many beautiful combinations with the roses, and pure artwork! Glorious.

I was amused that people think your DH did the work, since we get those comments...when we get a load of mulch, it is always "Honeydo time, huh?" or some such. The answer is always along the line of "no, the garden is hers, I just cut the grass. and I like to unload it too...I dig the holes, and lay my own (purchased) stones in the paths. But girl, I have never worked with that kind of rocks. You are a real inspiration! thank you for the up-lift.
kay

Wow Celeste you are a regular wonder woman doing all that work by yourself. Your raised look great I like the natural look of the way you lay the rock. How high do you lay the rock for your beds? I am wondering how deep the soil is in your finished beds.

It's a snowy day here today and I thought I'd pop in and THANK YOU for your comments.

Jean, I don't use any cement to secure the stones. It's a balancing act and they have to be placed strategically to get them to stay secure. After the dirt is piled up in the bed, the rocks pretty much stay put. Actually I don't get backaches. I think my back has become strong like an ox from all the work I do shoveling, pushing the wheelbarrow and lifting rocks that it doesn't trouble me.
Sorry you are getting the rain NOW. I remember how dry it was for you there all summer. The weather sure can be frustrating.
Julia, that is great that you have rocks already there for you to use. I wish I didn't have to dig mine up...I am running out of rocks since I only have an acre. I know some people buy rocks from the landscape companies but I refuse to pay for rocks. Pretty soon I will have to go to my Dad's property and start digging there...LOL.
Kay, it is interesting how people automatically assume all yard work that is labor intensive is a MAN'S job. When people stop by to admire my gardens from the road, if my hubby is outside they'll yell up to him that HE did a great job on the gardens. He is always quick to tell them that I did it all and that I'm also a great cook...LOL.
flowergardener...thanks for the compliment! This particular raised bed is about a foot and a half deep because there were lots of tree roots underneath. That's about the depth of most of the beds with the exception of the long borders which are about a foot deep (the soil underneath was pretty rich and I had already dug out all the rocks to use on it and the tree roots got hacked up).

Celeste

P.S....
Flowergardener....I guess actually most of the beds are more like 2 feet deep as is this new one....18" is probably too conservative. (I have never been good at estimating). Sorry.

Celeste...You are amazing! I can not imagine digging all of those rocks. I also edge my gardens with rocks, but I have to buy most of them. As you said, this is almost annoying. Who buys rocks!! I just like the look of rocks versus the landscape stones you buy at stores. My problem now is that with years of adding compost and mulch, I need more rocks to make my edging taller. I just hate spending money on rocks. Maybe I`ll go rock hunting this spring in the woods! Your gardens are just breathtaking. I would love to stroll thru them one day. I am in KY., so that won`t happen. Your pictures are second best, so thank you. Lesley

You must be in phenomenal shape! Keep up the good work.

Absolutely beautiful, Celeste - great job! I can't decide which makes me more envious...your rocks or your loam. Thanks for sharing -
Kathy

Those beds look wonderful--care to bring your shovel to VA and put in a few for me? I'll cook supper..... :)

You guys are great...THANKS for yet more compliments!
It was -15 below zero last night (and it's 0 degrees right now) so winter has me feeling the 'blues' and it's nice to have some cheer. Your comments made my morning!

Celeste

Really super!!!! I was wondering also if you were dry stacking, and I read you that you are. Wondering if you put anything behind the rocks to prevent the good soil from moving through the rock, such as when it rains hard??? I also dry stack a lot of rocks, and have generally put some newspapers behind the rocks and then fill in, don't even know if that step is needed. Do you do anything like that? or is it not needed? Just love, love the long perennial beds, just so pretty. Great work. I love seeing the pre and post pictures of flower beds like yours. Thanks for posting these. Cindy

Hey Cindy...Thanks!
I have never used anything other than little stones to 'sandwich' into the crevices between the large rocks. We sure have a lot of those pesky small stones of assorted sizes everywhere so I go around filling up buckets with them to use to 'plug' the gaps. I never thought of using newspaper but that is a great idea. It seems like the loam just settles in once it's watered and I don't notice much getting through the cracks. What you can't see from these photos is that prior to shoveling the dirt into these beds, I have made my stone work quite thick in diameter so that there is more inner reinforcement than what shows. I always enjoy seeing your garden beds too!

Celeste

Celeste ~ I have been following this thread since you posted it and each time I go to post my thoughts, I go blank. I think I am just in awe! Not only of your gardens, the work you have put into them, their beauty and your soul shining through but that I cannot believe how much our "flavours" seem to me to be so much in harmony! Although I have yet to create my quilts of color, I just enjoy so much seeing your masterpieces! Perhaps more so because I can see so much of myself in your artwork........I simply don't know what else to add to this thread? I just want to walk with the kitties down the winding pathways on your acre and drink in every bit of beauty that flows from your garden spaces. Love it!

Namaste

Ginny

Celestialrose
I'm chiming in here because I've wanted to email you for some time now but seems it's not possible from here.
First of all to tell you how inspirational & motivating your posts have been to me.
Your contributions to the Rose forums at GW & elsewhere are what lead me to search out a way to say " Thank You". Your obvious love of gardening & experience has both inspired & educated me. You enthusiasm, experience & generosity has helped me immensely to make plant choices based on your many successes.
Even in the depths of winter ... here I find you making me yearn to be outdoors busting my back carrying rocks around.
To me you're one of those 'inspirational gardeners' that comes along to reawaken the gardener within ... !
You're amazing...& Thank You.
Bruce

I just LOVE your raised beds and your entire garden. I have lots of raised beds myself but sure didn't dig rocks from my soil to use as borders. I could never have managed to get that much too hard work done. I do have some rock walls but I had to actually buy the rocks. Most are cemented so they are never going to move. I do have one that is just loose stacked stone. Many other raised beds here are done in those locking stackable pavers that one buys at places like Home Depot. But real rock like yours are just so, so very pretty.

I am glad I checked my post this morning. BRUCE, your comments made my day! I really appreciate your kind comments and enthusiasm and am glad that I have helped inspire someone. I haven't been as active on the rose forum or elsewhere too much in recent history since I have my hands full taking care of my elderly mother who is blind and has Alzheimers, plus babysitting my grandson. Those of us in the colder zones have a tougher, longer wait before we can enjoy our gardens so posting on these forums and sharing is how we keep the spark of enthusiasm alive over the long winter. Your words were inspiring to ME...thanks!

RITA, Thanks. And your raised beds are wonderful too. I just love when you share your pictures of them. I actually like the look of the stackable pavers and if I didn't have to pay for truckloads of loam, I would probably use those myself. After the expense of the loam and then the daylilies themselves it could get quite costly so since the rocks are plentiful and free, they are utilized. I have pretty much exhausted my land of rocks at this point so I am either going to have to pay for rocks or go dig elsewhere...LOL.

Celeste

P.s....GINNY, I accidentally forgot to thank you for your extra-special comments. Sorry girl! You are always such a sweetheart so I feel bad I hit 'submit' before thanking you. BTW, I love those doggie quilts you make for them to lie on that you showed a picture of. You are very talented and making a lot of doggies happy. I'll bet it's some cold up your way. It has gotten well below zero here a lot with only a few inches of snow on the ground. Hope the plants come out okay. Take care.

Celeste

I can't believe you have access to all those great big rocks on your property. What a great natural resource to access, but I bet it is backbreaking work to dig them out and load into the wheelbarrow. I love, love, love the look of your natural rock walls, and can't wait to see how the new garden look in bloom this summer.

Debra

I'm so happy that I was finally able to tell you how influential your posts have been on me. This winter I am preparing to delve into the world of roses & my choices will primarily be based on information you have shared that is invaluable for cold climate gardeners like myself.
I look forward to following your garden adventures. Now I gotta get outta here before you get me hooked on day lilies & building rock walls!!!
Bless.
Bruce

Hey girl, just had to come over here again and get my fix of harmony. My mental health is so thirsty! Thank you for that and thank you for the acknowledgement. No bad feelings allowed! I know you are there! :)

I've been working on an alledged animal abuse case for a few days or rather I will just say more just being a mom to those working on the alledged animal abuse case. Being Mother Theresa is so draining! Lol! I think all is well with the animal in question but boy, the ruckus that resulted! Good thing I'm a tough old bird! :)

I see that you are getting a bit of weather down there. We are through the cold part now and all is warming up again nicely. One morning it was -50C here with the windchill! All my little feathered and furred friends have been sticking really close to the house for food and warmth. I guess they know where to go for some TLC! :)

I sure hope your mom and dad are doing ok (and the kitties and kiddies, young and old). I became a great aunt for the 10th time this morning at 6am London time. I think they are naming this little baby girl after my mom who passed when I was very young. And I ramble......cause I really needed a breather from the job.....:)

Can't wait for spring! Building blankies and starting seeds will keep me busy till then. Keep the pics coming Celeste! I love it!!

Bruce, there is absolutely no hope of you sneaking out of this forum as a non DL addict! You might as well submit to your fate! Lol! :) So excited to see your creations with your personal signature to them!

Namaste

Ginny

Ginny
Oh don't you worry .. I'll be lurking in the shadows learning all I can about DL's. I have a few in the gardens now. All of which were either previously here, given to me or rescued. None I doubt are really fancy schmany varieties but I love them all.
Who can argue with a plant that is tough as nails, blooms dependably & can be divided time & time again without fuss.
My favourite is a fragrant clear yellow beauty which I can't wait to be able to divide & spread around. She greets our guests with her cheerfulness & sweet scent in July.
Maybe someone can identify it for me... hey it's winter what else to do! Here she is.
***ok ya got me Ginny ... ya got me!***

Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrant Yellow Hemerocallis

Looks like it COULD be CONDILLA to me.

Gorgeous beds! Love the colors and textures .. you put lots of work into your gardens and the results are amazing!

Hahaha, Bruce. It doesn't take much to get hooked. And you are in good company here. :)

Ginny