"I'M IN THE GARDEN!"

We have FINALLY had some warm and even HOT weather here in the Vancouver area and so I was able to get out into my Real LIfe garden and do a much needed clean up!  It doesn't take much for it to revert to back to chaos and having it be sooooo cold for so long allowed the garden to go WILD!  This is a photo of the back garden which began life as a lumpy green sward with a live stump which had roots that snaked over the surface and sent out suckers everywhere.  As soon as I could I had the entire back turf uprooted and removed along with the stump and installed as much paving as I could leaving only just a little bit of grass in between two patios.  You can see the Magnolia trees in bloom at the very back of the garden.  Mine always bloom later than others in the area because the garden is almost fully enclosed. A high retaining wall with a row of evergreens runs the length of the garden to the left and directly across the back.  The house is on the right and only the front of the garden entry is exposed to the public.  Lots of privacy!

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I had the house painted this tropical yellow about 10 years ago and the paint has hardly faded.  Yellow is not my favorite color but I was going through a mild depression at the time and needed something that would make me smile when I was feeling down.  This color always does that in the summer. In the winter it does not look the same and because in this part of the world where the light is more grey and muted this color can appear rather sharp but now with more sunshine it is just right!
The 2 black metal chairs are from the thrift store and I reupholstered the seats and added a bolster.  They are quite comfortable but they can be scorching hot in the middle of summer.  Here it is May and so few flowers are in bloom!? Also there are next to NO BEES!?  This greatly concerns me.

This is back end of the back garden where there USE to be some grass between the round patio and the main one.  You'll see the reason WHY there isn't any grass anymore but only a patchy mess, in just a moment.
I planted all of the boxwood that you see and I as sooo happy with it.  It keeps the garden ordered and even in the winter the garden has shape and is green,( when it is not covered with snow).  The mirror that you see against the garden wall is a mirror that I purchased from a home decor store and the white frame around it is the table top of a old patio table that was rusted and peeling and purchased from a thrift store.  I secured the mirror to the centre of the table top and then fastened them both to the garden wall.  It gives a nice focal point and I love the size of it!

Here is a closer view of the mirror and the ground cover under the right Magnolia!  Almost 11 years ago, Janine and I spent the entire day trying to dig out the GOUTWEED/BISHOPS WEED that used to grow under the trees!  We tried to dig it out and then to smother it.
  FAIL.
  I finally had to succumb to the use of a powerful pesticide and then had to wait a least 6 weeks before it was all at last dead.  I avoid poisons in my garden and want the healthiest environment as possible but this weed was impossible and even after all that I still found survivors periodically for the next year!  There is a less invasive variety but even when a friend of mine put that in her garden, I warned her but she wouldn't listen.....!
(Now she wishes she had!)
What you see now is Spanish bluebells, in bloom, Dead nettle ( the variegated leaves), violets still in bloom and the rounded leaves of  Lady's Mantle which has delightful sprays of tiny acid yellow flowers in the summer, and which hold onto raindrops and present them as tiny glistening jewels on their leaves.  I love this plant and it loves my garden as it self seeds and turns up every where all by itself.

The canopy of shrubs from the neighbors garden and the magnolia from mine

The round patio and the back corner of the lower back garden.  This section is always a late starter.  In the summer it is too hot and in constant need of water.

A large pot of perennial geraniums that have a fragrance in the leaves.  This plant is usually alive with bees but I have only seen ONE BEE!
 This does not bode well for next year.

And this is the reason that the grass is so patchy!
Meet SADIE BEAR!  My Lassa,lassa, poopoo!
Sadie is 2 years old and this is just before her hair cut so she is very wooly still.  Her daddy, MAX MAXWELL is twelve years old and is my other dog.  Sadie is good company and is full of energy and is just as headstrong as her daddy, only he is much slower now than he use to be. Poor Max!

A long view of the patio and the raised planter to the left.  There are hydrangeas, roses, a Japanese maple tree, and 5 different clematis.  Perennial geraniums, variegated hostas, oregano, sweet woodruff, and spanish bluebells in this planter. Not all of it was planted by me, some just decided to move in and made itself at home.  Right now though there is just green.  When the roses come out next month I will show you what it looks like because the SIGHT and the FRAGRANCE is incredible!
So thank you for your visit and I hope that you are not too weary or bored with this tour.  I love the back garden and when the flowers come out I praise God and thank Him for the opportunity to see His handiwork up close and personal.  It always fascinates me and leaves me in Awe.  Earth is crammed with heaven!....



elizabeth