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Area I'm going to plant this year - The Playhouse

12 years ago

Thought I'd post up some progress pictures of my yard. I'd have waaaaay more hostas planted by now if I wouldn't have been clearing land for 4 years.

The best news is I believe I am officially DONE clearing land here! I may still chop a tree here and there as I get to putting plants and pretty things in, but the mass clearing is OVER!!! thankgodthankgodthankgod I didn't hurt myself, and got it done while I was/am young enough to do it without help (ie bobcats and heavy equipment...lol!).

This is the southwest corner of my yard in 2008, and the primary area I will work on planting this year.

Southwest Corner in 2011. I finally cleared enough to get my kid the playhouse she'd been begging for. Since the photo was taken I've laid a little brick path out the front door of the playhouse and tweaked out the treeline behind.

I threw down some grass seed in the bare soil last fall. Grass is coming up kinda patchy this year (2012), but it's better than nothing. I've got bare soil all over the place as I've cleared, not just here. I don't plan on having that much grass in the long-term future, it's so much easier for me to care for a lawn than bare soil (weeds, erosion, dust bowls when windy etc). I'd rather remove grass later than deal with dirt now.

This year I will continue to fill in the grass, carve out some paths and planting beds, and plant hostas. I've got a hosta grouping picked out to get started with. I have a picture in my head of what it will look like in the end. Still many decisions to make to get it going.

It's interesting planning plants for a playhouse. The scale is different than I'm used to.

I'm keeping the treeline for privacy at about 15 feet behind the playhouse and most of the way down the entire lot. On the other side of the treeline is Main Street.

Thanks for looking.

Gayle

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Comments (5)

Cher
12 years ago
Gayle I think you've done a beautiful job with clearing the land and planting your gardens. The playhouse is wonderful.
Cher
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User
12 years ago
Ahhh, what an adorable playhouse and a huge gorgeous yard!
I know what a lot of work it is, even the 25' x 100' strip we cleared almost whipped us! Yes, having grass is a big help, and even if you till it under later on, it will benefit your soil.

One thing I think about with this setup is what they call "forced perspective" and they position LARGE LEAFED plants close to you (near the house) and then get progressively smaller leafed the further away you go, nearing the playhouse in this case. It lends greater depth to your perspective. So if you have a big leafed shrub to plant, put it nearer your house than the playhouse. The Japanese do this as masters, you think you have a long pathway, when it is really very short. Think about it as you make your winding pathway toward your playhouse. If you have an upstairs window with the playhouse vista, use it to get a birds-eye view and perhaps lay water hose down to suggest your walking path. Oh, you will have such fun playing house with this garden!!

Do you have the album set up on Flickr? I'd like to follow your progress by adding you as a contact.
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Gesila
12 years ago
What a beautiful transformation! Keep posting updates.
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bkay2000
12 years ago
Your hard work really shows.

bkay
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gayle0000
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone.

moccasin...I don't do Flickr, but have a blog. I'll put the address below.

I haven't posted anything in almost a year. I was getting burned out on the blog, then my daughter broke her leg right after that last post, then she went to kindergarten. It was my excuse to officially take time off and find new routines...and I haven't gone back.

I still consider starting back. I don't know.

Anyway, you can select the tags of "Gardening" and "Exterior Home Projects" to see how the yard has changed and see all the other parts.

Gayle

Here is a link that might be useful: The Little House...my blog
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