Just lovely! I need help with plants for my shade garden! Do hostas multiply? Other ideas? Nancy

What a great transformation! I love your pathway and your greenhouse. It's amazing what a private little sanctuary you were able to create. Thanks for the inspiration! wig

What a beautiful space you've carved out. It's hard to believe that the weedy area you started with has been so transformed into a place of beauty.

HURRAY FOR YOU! That was certainly a lot of work and it shows. REALLY really nice and restful and peaceful looking. I love the deck and the greenhouse and the path...and everything!

GGG

Well done, Jo, something like magic. You have imaginative vision, and stick-to-itiveness!

Lorna

What a transformation! I can't believe how much privacy you have achieved on that fence with just plants. It is amazing.

It all looks so cozy. You are to be congratulations but, of course, the real reward is you and your family enjoying it.

Wow, that is quite a dramatic change. You have done a fabulous job, I'm inspired to keep working on my own "rags to riches" garden (still closer to the rags than riches at this point, though) Thanks for sharing the pictures!
Your greenhouse/shed is exactly what I want for my gardens. Was it stick built with plans or did you buy it somewhere?

G

How lovely - I just love before and after pictures. It's amazing how much you've accomplished in what I consider to be a short period of time. Now I hope you can sit back and enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing,
Mary

Gorgeous! You certainly had a great vision and accomplished it.

beautiful!
Tons of hard work.
Now you get to sit on that deck, drink a glass of wine and enjoy the view!

Fantastic! The path, the plant choices, the greenhouse! Everything is just so well planned and beautifully executed. Congratulations - that is SOME transformation!

I'm speechless! You have an incredible before and after story! The results are truly stunning and so liveable.

Congratulations...got more pics?

Cameron

Wow - wonderful before and after pictures - you have done a fantastic transformation job there - you can be very proud of the little piece of heaven that you have carved out for you and your family. Love the greenhouse - it fits the whole garden so perfectly - GREAT JOB!!!.......

Lynne

Absolutely stunning. I don't know all the plants you have but would love to find out. I have much the same conditions w/ shade and a fence. What do you have along the fence in the way of climbers and what did you put for support ? Do you have a sketched plan that you used? YOu have a GREAT eye. c

Very stunning, YOU must be proud. I love your potting shed. It is very similar to one I was looking at at our local Lowes. Did it come from there? How do you feel about it? I am seriously considering this shed and would love feedback from someone who has one. I thought in addition to how it comes I would add an attic ventilation or powervent and a watering system. We also are looking at a tile floor in it maybe with a drain rather than the wood floor that comes with it. That would prolly mean we would have to build our own, but I was thinking to use the same plans as the lowes model.

Beautifully done! It's amazing to see the transformation from blank slate to lush garden paradise. I love the paths you've created and the selection of plants you've chosen.

I'm sure you've inspired many people with your pictures. I know I'm inspired!

Thanks for sharing.
Marilyn

Would love to wander around with a glass of iced tea, sit on the bench and just enjoy. Beautiful job. Love the garden decor. What kind of mulch is by the bench?

Wonderful, beautiful, peaceful. I love seeing projects like this. You did a fantastic job. Enjoy! Keep posting pictures also.

FlowerLady

Fabulous.....You've done an amazing job. You must be so proud of yourself....at least I hope you are. It is a beautiful transformation. I am so jealous of your greenhouse/shed. Love it!

Mindy

Unbelievable!

A dream come true.

~ sweetannie4u

Clapping wildly, hooray - you did a fantastic make-over. You created an awesome outdoor space. What a tremendous lot of back breaking work, but what a great turn out.

Congrats, get a lemonade, pull up a chair and enjoy your paradise.

You have made a wonderfully serene oasis for yourself! It is obvious this was much effort on your part but the payoff is soooooooooo worth it. It is lovely!

Wow! That is fabulous. You did yourself proud!

Wow!!
Thanks all so much for the responses!! My back is truly broken!!
I actually have been dreaming about having a garden for years. I lived in spaces where only a fire escape or deck was available for planting, so I set my mind to do this and I just forged ahead.
The greenhouse was a pre-fab from Gardener's Supply, although i don't know if they still offer them. It took my husband and two of my friends about 4 hours to put it up.
I had a general idea of what I wanted with the yard. I had a rough sketch, I then found a Sierra Landscaping program for $9.99 at Target one Autumn. I spent that winter playing around with it. It was really cool!
My husband built the deck, but I did all the rest pretty much by myself. He isn't into yard work, but does the grocery shopping-which I could do without!! It works out great!
We need to trim some mature oaks (my neighbor's) to let a bit more sun in. I love the semi-shade, but I love heirloom tomatoes too. I have 10 kinds tucked into the areas that receive the most sun.
My climber is clematis-on a too small trellis.I wired the top down so it would grow back towards itself. I also have morning glories on a trellis planter on my deck. It acts as a screen between yards. I have Rose of Sharon and a Lilac on that side fence also. Alot of the shrubs are from neighbors. The offered some seedlings that had volunteered in their yard.
The sod is a new addition. Although a lawn is the last thing I want to tend to, I thought it would be a nice area for a hammock.The watering was a nightmare, until I ran soaker hoses on timers throughout the yard. What a blessing!! It's a real time-saver. I work as a pastry chef and the summers are so busy, I am really pressed for time.
Thanks again! I really appreciate all the kudos! I'll try and post more as the season progresses.
Jo

Oh sorry-I was trying to answer everybody's questions and I forgot a couple.
The mulch is just plain old black mulch. Instead of lugging bags, I got a yard for $25.00. Cheaper and alot easier!
The back fence with all the privacy is planted with forsythia. It's actually on my neighbor's side. He trims it like a hedge, which is usually not a good thing in my book. This time, however, it seems to work! I planted burning bush on my side. Hopefully it will be an informal hedge when the bushes grow together. I haven't noticed it being invasive, as some people have said. My goal was to cover the ugly chain-link fence. The forsythia is now starting to grow through the fence, which I guess is a good thing.
Well, I'm hitting the sack. Good night!
Jo

What a transformation ! Your before and after photos really show how much work you've done, and you've accomplished A LOT in four years ! Love the flagstone pathways, your adorable greenhouse, all the green healthy plants. Very nice !

Carol

How lovely and inspiring! Thank you for sharing!

Wow!! You have done a wonderful job. It's hard to believe that was all done in four years. Your yard is amazing now. I love your paths and the benches here and there. Such a nice touch.

Thanks for sharing,
Tracy

That is an incredible transformation! Good for you, you did a great job of it. I see you have room for a few more plants. What can enable you get, to fill in those small blank spaces? Ha! Enjoy, enjoy!!

MeMo

Oh wow! Those pictures are priceless! You must be so very proud of what you've accomplished. Your garden looks so very inviting...what an absolutely lovely sanctuary you've created.