Great find on the chairs. They make me want to sit there drinking sweet tea while enjoying your pond. I'm so glad you are sharing pictures as you've gone along. You've really transformed that spot in a short amount of time.

BTW, what type of bamboo is that by the fence? My neighbor and I are looking for a bamboo for her for next to her fence so I'm always looking for suggestions of which types people have done well with and where they got them.

I have always loved those chairs too! I can hardly wait to try one out.

You have done a spectacular job with this spot and it's a perfect compliment to the Bali hut.

Thanks for thes lovely photos! I was telling my son I wanted a little shade place and he suggested bamboo.I remembered your lovely spot and told him now I'll be able to send it to him

A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER.

Thanks, everybody! I love that spot now! We have several types of bamboo, Jelly, and I THINK that one along the fence is bambusa textilis. It is a tall clumper, grows fairly quickly, and the canes stay about 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter. It laughed at the cold weather this year, which is a BIG plus in my book, since I lost 95% of my entire garden to the cold.

Here is what the fence looked like when we first moved in:

That trampline was sitting pretty close to where the Bali Hut is now, and the light pole is close to where the pond is. That chain link fence was all that separated our house from the one behind us. We put in the stockade fence and Mark started planting bamboo. He put in 3 or 4 pieces with ONE to two canes per clump, and they have filled out this much in five years time. Any new canes that come up too far out from the fence just get cut off, no problem.

I don't want to disparage the people who owned the home before us, but frankly...I like our yard better! Even after the freeze! Haha.

Marcia

Awesome Marcia, I can't wait to see your new pond in person
I'll bring the C. Black Magic :-)

Evelyn

Ooh, how pretty!

I still haven't planted bamboo, but love stopping by my neighbor's bamboo patch just to listen to it rustle and creek on evening walks.

You've created a spot that must tantalize all of the senses and yet provides a cool, calm retreat.

Sorry about your big freeze, happy to see that beautiful staghorn survived just fine.

Thanks for sharing, Marcia.

Can't wait, Evelyn! And Marilyn, I'm surprised you could even pick out the staghorn in that compressed photo. Yes, both of ours survived the freeze fine, but they are really suffering from the drought now. Shriveled and sad looking, with many lost fronds, and it's quite difficult to get enough water into them, though I try. Hopefully, if the rains EVER COME, they will perk back up.

Marcia

it's raining here over my yard right now, I'll send the rain clouds your way :-)

Very nice Marcia, you've got a beautiful place to relax. Those chairs remind me of some my grandmother had in her yard too.

Your water lily looks great. I thought that goldfish would nibble away the leaves. I've got one that I just put in last weekend and something has been eating it. I've been blaming the fish. Maybe it is something else.

John

Wow, Marcia! The transformation in your yard is fantastic! The brick surround is great...and the pathway and garden edging! What a beautiful project!

Soft dripping water, spft clanginh of bamboo and gentle rustling of the leaves, flit of color from time to time, soft gentle breeze caressing the stress from your face as you slowly sip sludhy homemade lemonade and allow Ma Naure to take your cares away and transport you to a place of tranquility and peace. Ahhhh the good life as a butterfly float by and wait a minute got to go got to go got to go right now with the sound of the water and all that lemonade *g* Homestly, Marcia it is as lovely as you are and those who get to experience in person are truly blessed in more ways than one. I envy them. Thanks for sharing. Linda

Marcia,I agree with everyone here,you have done a great job. It is amazing what you and Mark have done in five years. You now have so much privacy. I also love those chairs. I remember them from long ago.
Felix

Evelyn...rain? RAIN??? Waaaaaaaaaaaah. I want some, too. I NEED some!!! Not a drop now for over a month. I can't keep up with the watering chores!

John, goldfish will sometimes nibble the leaves, as they do enjoy plants, but they haven't bothered mine this time. I think partly because I have a lot of salvinia in the pond...it's a tiny, floating water fern, similar to duckweed, only larger-leaved. They nibble that all the time. Plus I keep them pretty well fed. Hungry fish are more likely to chew the plants, I think. (That's my theory, anyway!)

Thanks for all the kind comments, everyone! I'm so glad we went ahead and did this. I've about decided it is probably all the pond we will ever need for this particular space. And it seems like everyone knew those chairs growing up! I'm always in love with anything vintage or retro, so they are perfect for me. Maybe not for everyone, being so very 1950's looking (Evelyn!) but they sure make me smile! ;o)

Marcia

Thanks for the info Marcia. You really have transformed it from a yard to a retreat.

Marcia, your chairs look great, but I don't think they would fit in my yard, so you do not have to worry that they end up in my car's trunk by accident LOL
and yes, RAIN. yesterday, and today, and surely tomorrow as well.... rainbarrels are filled, rain lilies send up blooms, bananas love it, just my hoyas don't like that much water

:)

Man, Evelyn! I want some of that rain, too!! You stop hogging it all, now! It's still very dark here, and some wind blowing, but NOT A STEENKIN' DROP OF RAIN. Harrruuumph!

MY rain barrel is empty. My flowers are thirsty. My rain lilies are brown and gone. I think it is highly unfair of you not to send at least SOME OF IT my way!

*going off muttering to self about friends who don't let friends have RAIN!!*

Marcia

What a wonderful oasis, Marcia.

There will be rain again because I ordered raindancers to come to Florida. :-) They helped in Leesburg today.

well see Marcia, rain is all around you, maybe YOU should do the rain dance LOL

Very nice Marcia, I can't believe the water lilies flowered and grew that much in such a short period of time, you've done some amazing things in just five years....

Tom

Hi Marcia, I just found this and want to agree with all the others about how great it all turned out.

And I'd like to add that the fish and lily photos came out really cool - professional like in a Home and Garden magazine!

You rock!

Susie

Thank you, Susie! So glad you like it. I wish I could get a really clear picture of the lily, showing off the bright yellow center, but my little camera doesn't seem to be able to capture it. It is always overexposed looking and washed out. (I think that means it's time for a new and better camera, don't you? Let's see...new camera or Blu-Ray? I need a new toy!)

Thank you, Tom. It was amazing to watch how fast that lily grew. I'm so impressed. The tag said it was odorata, and it does have a sweet scent, but you have to practically stick your head in the pond to smell it! And whenever I get discouraged about the fact that only 1/3 of my back yard has even been touched, I just go back and look at the photos of what it looked like when we moved in. Totally empty. A wasteland of burned and ratty looking lawn. (That part is still true, but there are only small areas of that now.)

Thanks for ordering the rain dancers, Florah. Evelyn, the world is NOT READY for the sight of ME flouncing around in the yard doing any kind of dance at all! Not these days, I'm afraid. The rain clouds would take one look and head some place more hospitable...like the Sahara! I think I'll just wait for the dancers Florah ordered, and hope for the best. Meanwhile, it's hand watering 3 times a day for some of the plants.

I took some more pictures this morning of a few things and will start a new thread with them. My mini waterlily from Nova is blooming, too! So cute!!

Marcia

Wowee, wowee! I love it! What a perfectly relaxing spot, morning, noon or night. You have done a wonderful job.

FlowerLady

Thank you FL! I'm so glad you like it. It sure makes me happy to look out my window and see it there. And when it is cool...in the early morning...I really love to sit by the pond and listen to the trickling water. Very peaceful.

Marcia