Secret Garden ideas
Faith M
last year
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Sigrid
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Help! sloped backyard...cannot figure it out!
Comments (26)I'm doing some second-guessing here, but it seems that you must get stormwater from the back yard to the front. Since the former french drain is non-functional, I'm wondering if you can change it to a slot-covered trough drain that collects water at the critical places and then directs it via underground pipe to an outlet somewhere toward the front yard... ?? Since you won't be hiring a hydraulic engineer, I would lean toward keeping it oversized... thinking about those big storms and the fact that drains tend to collect "stuff" and become clogged. 4" pipe is too small. 6" or a pair of them would be better. (If you can figure a way to keep it above ground, even better.) The exact details of how you constructed it would depend much on how the plan shapes up and what else you're constructing. Being as it's your own yard and your doing it on the cheap, you might even consider constructing a removable slotted grate made of treated wood. It wouldn't last like other materials, but you could get a few years out of it. In regards to planting on the hill, I'd be in favor of getting rid of all grass, thinking it's not fun to maintain, creating instead a solid small flowering tree canopy that would be limbed up with a high ceiling. Below it, a single, solid groundcover. Trees that come to mind would be redbud or saucer magnolia, with a preference for the former. 5 trees in a double staggered row (3 at back, 2 at front would do it.) A super cheap groundcover would be virginia creeper as you can find it everywhere and start your own cuttings. It's pest free and grows about 12" tall. You'd be able to incorporate other plants at edges, once some shade is up and running, and in the sunny areas....See MorePLEASE! I need ideas!!
Comments (14)I'm glad you've decided to pass on the LC; they are overused everywhere, and there are so very many trees and shrubs that can work well, but people overlook because they're not sold at most nurseries and big box stores. See if you can find a copy of "Dirr's Hardy Trees & Shrubs, An Illustrated Encyclopedia" in your local library. Mike Dirr's descriptions are straightforward (sometimes with a touch of humor) and right on the mark. Here's what "Library Journal" had to say: A first-class source on the very best garden trees and shrubs. Excellent color photos accompany the well-written plant descriptions, which point out both the positive and negative attributes of each plant, including physical features, hardiness, disease resistance, and growth preferences. A multitude of cross-referenced indexes will help readers find the right plant for each location and desired effect. (BTW, vitex, commonly known as chaste tree, would be a better alternative than buddleia. It grows to a small but full multi-stemmed tree, has blooms very similar to buddleia (also attractive to butterflies) but is not invasive as the buddleia can be.) A great resource would be your local county agricultural extension office/Master Gardeners. Check out some public botanical parks or gardens in your area for ideas and inspiration. Ask the staff questions; they're usually very happy to share their expertise. See if they maybe have a library (I work at a county horticultural park which has a hort. library of 4000+ volumes plus horticultural magazines & newsletters and seed/garden supply catalogs ... and because it's a county park, it's free!) I think what's bothering you most may be the open expanse of it all without plantings to make your house seem nestled into its surroundings and to give a sense of enclosure, scale and safe haven. It's been covered in this forum in other threads, but a while ago: remember that you don't need a solid line of evergreens to block an undesirable view. All you need is a closer, and more attractive, focal point - something in front of just part of that view. Using that photo below the one that shows where your peas/lettuce may go, try sketching in a bed containing a good-sized tree, perhaps deciduous, and a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs which will mature to a good size, maybe some spring bulbs and a few perennials to be added in time. Even without totally blocking the view, this should make anything beyond it of little consequence. Pennymca made a great suggestion regarding the wintersowing. Do check out that forum on Gardenweb as well as the wintersown.org website. Also check out the Georgia forum and any for specific plants you are interested in, and don't overlook the Exchange portions of those forums - you may be able to make a trade, and sometimes people post plants they wish to give away. Why do you want to rip out all the shrubs in the pathway to the garage (except the nandina)? Maybe you would like these better in another location on your property. If you're working within a budget, try to make the most of what you've already got. I've found most plants transplant pretty well (though early spring or fall is best) if you get as much of the root-ball as possible, plant and water it in well and keep it watered as necessary through its first year in its new home. You seem to have the space, a holding bed is a great suggestion to house new plants or plants you've taken out and may "re-home." If this area, or part of it, can be somewhat shaded from the harsh mid-day sun, that will make life easier for those plants-in-transition. You're wise to prioritize. It looks like a large expanse and like you've got a lot to do, but take it in stages, learning as you go and, even though it seems you have almost a blank slate, you may find the surroundings making suggestions to you if you're open to them. Don't rush it - enjoy the process. Sorry ... I've written a tome!...See MoreWorking in My Secret Garden ...need ideas!
Comments (17)This is what I ended up using at the clawfoot bathtub on the path in the pines to my Secret Garden...a corner trellis...I spotted it at Lowes (chained to a rack...folded in half so it wouldn't tip over)...last one...so got it on sale & I really like the looks of it! Kept trying to think of what I wanted to hang in it ... & then **...my rainchain!!! DH wouldn't hang it from the house with new siding last yr so it was just hanging in my garden shed...DH took out a few links for me & I love it here! A close-up shot: Plants are growing slow in the tub...I put some Astible, Bears Breech, Varigated Solomen's Seal & a Coral Bell. Would like something to climb up the trellis...but it needs to be a shady plant (& not invasive!) I'm pleased with this tho & things are really growing in the Secret Garden! But I thank you for all your ideas! Jeanne S....See MoreYAY! My little cousin wants a garden! But I need somethings.
Comments (2)your cousin .. hmmm.... lol a key consideration is what does he want to grow ... sun plants .. like veggies.. or shade plants ... the problem with the secret garden idea is that the plants that make it secret will also make it shaded ... i agree.... GG's are going to be way to big.. way too fast ... also ... any perimeter plants.. will eventually invade the bed with roots .... look into thuja occ. de groots spire for thin tall plants... google the name ken...See Morel pinkmountain
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