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Prettymaid
06-01-2009, 06:24 PM
Whether it's a flower or vegetable garden, a patio, terrace or backyard, here's the place to show off what you've got!



http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009005.jpg
Above is a small area between our house and detached garage that we call the secret garden.
We made it two years ago and add to it every season.


http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009006.jpg
A fairy watches over the secret garden.

ticky
06-01-2009, 06:29 PM
That's beautiful Cathy! As soon as I get the garden planted, I'll post some picks *G* It's ALMOST done! *G* but it's a vegie garden with a lot of flowers tossed in.

Troubadour
06-01-2009, 06:33 PM
That is beautiful, PM. Unfortunately, I live in a flat so I don't have a garden... or terrace... balcony... anything... Sob. I'll gaze at all of your lovely gardens in envy! ;)

anne-o-gg
06-01-2009, 07:17 PM
Unfortunatly, I got nothin' in the garden area, but I got a BIG backyard - I'll try and post something...

Cathy, that first pic gives me that peaceful, easy feeling! So serene!!!:thumbsup:

Prettymaid
06-01-2009, 08:29 PM
Unfortunatly, I got nothin' in the garden area, but I got a BIG backyard - I'll try and post something...

Cathy, that first pic gives me that peaceful, easy feeling! So serene!!!:thumbsup:

That's what I'm going for AOGG!

Koala
06-02-2009, 01:44 AM
The garden is beautiful! :thumbsup:

Mrs Frey
06-02-2009, 06:37 AM
A very beautiful garden indeed, PM. I love the traditional look your garden has.

Unfortunately, I no longer have a garden or backyard, as I moved to a flat a year ago... :roll: Troub, I feel your pain... :brickwall:

TimothyBFan
06-02-2009, 07:26 AM
IF it ever stops raining I will try to get a couple pics of our "sanctuary" as I like to call it. My husband calls it "the fortress". 6 foot privacy fence all the way around the property and several seating areas make it extremely peaceful even tho we are right in town.

Beautiful garden Cathy---love the fairy bird bath!

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 07:34 AM
Beautiful garden Cathy---love the fairy bird bath!

:-D Thanks Willie. Actually I got the fairy at Hobby Lobby (I fell in love with her) and have her perched on the bird bath!

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 07:45 AM
This past weekend we saw a turtle in our front garden. I'll bet that I'd not seen a turtle since I was a kid!
We spotted him Friday afternoon. I took this picture on Saturday.
I was starting to grow fond of him and named him Timothy.
I saw him a couple of times on Sunday but by yesterday he was gone :-(



http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009014.jpg

TimothyBFan
06-02-2009, 08:05 AM
Ok--I'll bite----Why did you name it Timothy?

MikeA
06-02-2009, 08:15 AM
Well done PM! All that rock work....I like it though it gives my back twinges. I do like the symmetrical design. And those trees! It really is nice!

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 08:43 AM
Ok--I'll bite----Why did you name it Timothy?

Well...he was playing a bass guitar Willie...yeah...that's it... :wink:

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 08:53 AM
Well done PM! All that rock work....I like it though it gives my back twinges. I do like the symmetrical design. And those trees! It really is nice!

I'm sure it gave Hubby's back twinges Mike lol! But this was a TEAM project - I told him what I wanted and where I wanted it and he did all the work!

Fortunately we live in town close to everything but still have the mature oak trees in our area - the best of both worlds!

MikeA
06-02-2009, 09:01 AM
I'll try to get a couple of pics of ours Cathy. Much the same as what you guys have done. Meandering paths using that flat stone. In fact, there is a little birdbath area that Verna is working on now. She's expanding it and we have loose stone laying around the "new" area. We have a couple of small watergardens that we put in 10 or 15 years ago. Between the paths and the watergarden perimeters and waterfalls, we had many MANY tons of rock hauled in and made countless trips to one of the Rock Quarries in Wichita to haul it. It IS backbreaking work. Wonder why in the heck we ever thought we needed WATER GARDENS! But they do drown out all the road noise with the peaceful sound of the waterfalls and fountains splashing.

TimothyBFan
06-02-2009, 09:18 AM
Well...he was playing a bass guitar Willie...yeah...that's it... :wink:

Wow--what a coincidence--I once found a frog in my backyard playing drums and named it Don! Smart *ss :nahnah: :hilarious:

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 09:31 AM
Wow--what a coincidence--I once found a frog in my backyard playing drums and named it Don! Smart *ss :nahnah: :hilarious:


:rofl:

MikeA
06-02-2009, 10:33 AM
Now, it may just be "me", but if I was Don, I might have a bit of an issue with being equated to a FROG <LOL>

Here is a shot of some of the rock-work we've done. There are several pictures of the watergardens and more rock pathways and borders in other pictures you can see at

http://www.mvabercrombie.net/abercrombie_albums/2009_0601_garden/2009_0601_garden.html

and here is one:

http://mvabercrombie.net/abercrombie_albums/2009_0601_garden/jun01008.jpg

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 02:03 PM
Now, it may just be "me", but if I was Don, I might have a bit of an issue with being equated to a FROG <LOL>

And everybody knows that if you're a frog your name has to be Fred or Frank or Fernando!
:shh: Don't tell Kermit!

Mike, nicely done! Love the path. Is that a yellow bird on the birdbath?

MikeA
06-02-2009, 02:05 PM
Mike, nicely done! Love the path. Is that a yellow bird on the birdbath?

Must be a girl thing! Verna thought the same thing when she first saw it one morning. No, it is the bloom of a "Red Hot Poker" plant. There is a closer look at it on the album page on my photos site plus another photo of a much more mature plant that is also in bloom.

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 02:13 PM
I'll have to check out your album later - I'm only home for lunch - Back to work!

Brooke
06-02-2009, 02:25 PM
Pm and Mike, both of your gardens are lovely. Thanks for sharing those.

Hubby and I enjoy doing the same thing and I will try to find a pic of our efforts to post soon.

tbs fanatic
06-02-2009, 02:55 PM
What lovely gardens you have. I'm afraid I am hopeless as a gardener. Fortunately hubby loves gardening and has, over many years, turned our yard, albeit small, into a very nice place to relax in. Will have to see if I have some pics.

Prettymaid
06-02-2009, 07:09 PM
Mike your clematis is beautiful! Ours is climbing up the arbor in our back yard.
We planted it a couple of years ago. In the bottom right corner you can see where Hubby is building our new deck.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009015.jpg


A closeup of the clematis
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009003.jpg

MikeA
06-03-2009, 07:50 AM
<<Mike your clematis is beautiful!>>

So THAT'S how you spell it! <LOL> You guys have a huge landscaped area Cathy! Beautiful! All that shade and all that grass! My envy is seeping through! We are getting to a point of needing to do some serious work on the yard. Hard to get an even cover of grass here. A neighbor just put in a new yard from scratch along with a sprinkler system. I don't know if I want to go to that expense!

Prettymaid
06-03-2009, 07:59 AM
Mike how's that saying go - we always want what we don't have! I can only grow shade loving plants in the secret garden and backyard. A little more sun would be nice sometimes! Lol! We do get a full day's sun in the front yard, so I can get some good color there, which is good, cos that's what people see from the road.

Brooke
06-03-2009, 09:32 AM
Pm, your 'secret garden' is just lovely! (Have you read that book? It's so cute!) And I think I have a clematis just like yours. I really wanted the old time purple with the yellow center, but that is what I got. It's still pretty.

Prettymaid
06-03-2009, 09:55 AM
Thanks everybody! And Brooke, I look forward to your pictures.

MikeA
06-03-2009, 10:14 AM
There is a "story" behind the "butt rock" in the pic I'm putting here. Called it a "butt rock" because Verna thought she would need a large "rock" to sit on and dangle her feet into the water from. That was well before we saw turtles, frogs, snakes and snails gather at the pond! And also before I stocked it with Goldfish. No Koi. Too expensive and way too much danger from Blue Heron!

Anyway, we found that stone that is shown so prominent at the front edge of the large pond at the Rock Quarry. It weighs 975 pounds. I hauled it home on a tilt trailer and dumped it at the gate into our back yard. But that left it some 40 yards away from the pond where we wanted to "plant it".

Verna and I moved that rock ourselves as we did every rock in out back yard! I think I was around 47 or 48 at the time and was feeling that I needed to prove that I could still do stupid things!

We "log-rolled" that rock into place! I put round landscaping timbers (5 or 6 of them) under it and then tied rope around it and hooked it onto the lawn tractor. As it rolled off of a timber, we picked that timber up and placed it in front of the rock and pulled it a few more inches. That worked well until we got about a tractor's length from the edge of the pond! And then discovered we didn't have the strength to push it the rest of the way into position!

My father-in-law came from a "farming" background though and had a "come-a-long" or as some may know it a "fence stretcher". It is a manual wench. We literally wrapped one end of it around the waterfall and the other around the boulder. One Inch at a time, we wenched it into place, PRAYING that it wouldn't tip over and fall into the empty pond. We already had the liner for the pond in place and the boulder would not only have fallen to the bottom of the pond but would also have punched a massive hole in the liner!

We got lucky and it slid pretty much into the position you see it. We had dug out a place for it so it is about 1/3 buried to give it stability. It only cost a few crushed vertebrae to wobble it into it's final position. But we DONE IT.

http://www.mvabercrombie.net/abercrombie_albums/2009_0601_garden/jun01002.jpg

tbs fanatic
06-03-2009, 12:11 PM
That is beautiful. Oh, I would love a pond in our yard :jealous: .

ticky
06-03-2009, 12:11 PM
hehehe Mike, that's a great butt rock *G* we've moved a lot of those up at the cabin but using Dad's back hoe on his tractor. It's amazing what you can accomplish with BIG equipment... no innuendo intended...*G*

MikeA
06-03-2009, 12:45 PM
hehehe Mike, that's a great butt rock *G* we've moved a lot of those up at the cabin but using Dad's back hoe on his tractor. It's amazing what you can accomplish with BIG equipment... no innuendo intended...*G*

You must have said that to Joe and he's laughing about it in your Avatar!

MikeA
06-03-2009, 12:49 PM
That is beautiful. Oh, I would love a pond in our yard :jealous: .

The watergardens are a WHOLE avocation in themselves. Around here in Wichita, there are annual watergarden tours. Some of them are unbelievable. One guy in Derby has a large swimming pool that he got tired of I guess. He turned it into a watergarden complete with bridges that span the garden and a monster 35' or 40' mountain in the deep end with a waterfall. Koi the size of large children! And some of the most exotic plants I've ever seen.

Most keep them small like ours though. I'd hate to have to maintain one the size of a swimming pool.

The relaxing sound of water falling is very soothing....as long as there is a bathroom close by!

EagleLady
06-03-2009, 12:53 PM
You must have said that to Joe and he's laughing about it in your Avatar!


Everyone knows Joe has big equipment :rofl: I.E. His hands ;)

TimothyBFan
06-03-2009, 02:23 PM
Mike--I love your butt rock and the story behind (no pun intended) it.

Here's some of our backyard. We live in the older part of town and our house is 120 years old this year. We have one of the bigger lots on our side of the street. Our lot gets alot of shade in part of it but more sun than anything else. We have been planting a few trees (tulip tree in front of the deck, etc) but of course those take time to grow.

A few years ago, the whole lawn was pretty well killed off during a summer drought in which we didn't have a lot of time to spend working on when my father was so ill from cancer. The following summer, we tilled up ever blade of grass and started from scratch. What you see is in it's 3rd year for the most part and still a work in progress. Every year we add a little or change it. A lot of the stuff hasn't bloomed or anything yet because we live in Northern Indiana and we were still having snow showers up till 3 weeks ago.

This is the front of the deck behind our detached garage. It has a really nice gazebo on it and the back wall of the garage is covered with odds and ends antiques and signs, some of which haven't been put up this year yet.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/004-2.jpg

This is the sign that supposedly hung on the store that Al Capone's parents owned in western Chicago. Notice the grass--we are trying to kill it off this year in these little triangles between the walkways and will put ground cover (probably Phlox) next year.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/005-2.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/006-1.jpg

In different spots of the yard there are little statues and critters... these are my 2 favorites! LOVE my gargoyle. Some rotten teenage kids tried to steal him off my front porch years ago while my neighbor across the street was looking out the window so he yelled at them and they dropped it in the next yard. How they carried it that far I don't know because he is pretty big and cement. Anyways, he was moved to the backyard after that. Oops--I see I missed pulling out a couple volunteer trees here.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/003-1.jpg

This little guy and his magic mushroom sit underneath my favorite plant/tree in the yard, a Weeping Pussy Willow.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/007-2.jpg

MikeA
06-03-2009, 02:34 PM
I really do love those gardens like yours and Cathy's where "trails" or "Paths" sort of guide you through the flora. Your gargoyle reminded me of a "Tree Sprit" (aren't those called "Fauns" or "Nymphs" depending on gender?) that we have on the River Birch between our ponds. You can see it in the two pics of the little pond. Just two eyes, a nose and a mouth.

The volunteer trees we have are nearly always elms. Though we do have two volunteers that are pin-oak and ash on one side of our house that we are letting grow if they can make it.

Your weeping pussy-willow is something like the Drooping (or Weeping) Mulbery we have in front of our house. It forms a tunnel that visitors have to walk through to get to our front door. Problem is that a root from that tree has grown under our sidewalk and literally lifted the slab out of the ground!

TimothyBFan
06-03-2009, 02:34 PM
This is the front of the house. Hard to get good angles in the pictures, but you might get the idea. Nothing spectacular or anything.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/010-1-1.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/008-1.jpg
The bell came with the house and is supposedly ancient! It really rings and loud and I love it and if we ever leave, it will come with us!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/009-1.jpg

MikeA
06-03-2009, 02:37 PM
Is that "driftwood" Willie?

ticky
06-03-2009, 02:42 PM
Willie, I love your yard! Just one thing missing.. the leaping hottie on the back of the house... you need to add a wig or some hair silhouette and a bass guitar in the other hand.. altho I guess if you did that you'd have to move him into the bedroom in the winter *G* maybe just ALL the time!! *G*

I'm getting ready for MIL's visit and Jenni's grad today. Maybe I'll get around to taking some pictures IF I can get things straightened up. (big IF)

Prettymaid
06-03-2009, 02:42 PM
Beautiful Willie! Is that first picture the home of the infamous vinyl parties?
And I thought that was a gargoyle! Funny story about the kids trying to steal it - I know how heavy those things are!

Mike, your butt rock story cracked me up (get it? butt crack?) :hilarious:
Anyway, yours seems like a lot of work. Here's our water feature.
It's sitting on our screened porch right now but it will probably eventually go on the deck or close to it.
Walmart special - $198.00! It's about 2 to 2 1/2 feet high by the same width.
Does the job though - makes me sleepy listening to it! And it looks real! Kinda!

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/HomeandGardenSummer2009.jpg

TimothyBFan
06-03-2009, 02:58 PM
Good eye Mike---It's a dead tree trunk that my husband and a friend brought home for me one night. I had wanted "something" to go in the front but didn't know what and they were coming down a country road one evening and Larry made his friend stop to pick it up. It's all wavy and white--really neat and again, I have little critters stationed around it.

I don't know how well you can see the small tree behind it, but that is the newest addition to the front. It's a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. My husband found it at a nursery this spring, came home and picked me up to go see it and I fell in love with it. If you've never seen or heard of them, do a google search and check it out. It is really cool, the branches are all twisted and gnarled, the leaves look like they are always wilting and have no real shape to them and it gets little "cat tail" things on it later in the year.

The fence has a story also. A few years ago when we put it up, the building inspector (which a lot of people in town have issues with-we had never as of then) came by and told us there was a town ordinance against fences in the front yard because of issues with the ladder trucks if there was a fire etc... Mind you, my 3 year old nephew had kicked a section of it down by himself so I was pretty sure the big bad firemen wouldn't have any trouble either, besides, like I told the inspector, my fireman nephew knew that I would kick his *ss if he didn't knock it down to get to my son's bedroom. Anyways, he said if he got complaints because we had one then we would have to tear it down. In the next block, there are a bunch of rental properties that are starting to get really bad and a couple that are about to fall down that no one seems to get after the owners about that the rest of us have complained several times about. Me being a wee bit outspoken, told Mr Inspector, if they came to try to get me to take down my pretty little fence, would sit my *ss on it till they made the landlords clean up the mess in the next block. He got in his truck and left. That's been at least 4 years ago, so I guess no one complained. :hilarious: And to bring a little more attention to it, we added the archway this past spring.

Living in a small town and dealing with small town politics does get on ones nerves!!!

TimothyBFan
06-03-2009, 03:10 PM
Willie, I love your yard! Just one thing missing.. the leaping hottie on the back of the house... you need to add a wig or some hair silhouette and a bass guitar in the other hand..

:hilarious:He's actually on the garage. My friend owned a dance studio that I managed about 10 years ago and that is where he came from. His name is Larry and he used to be purple and wore a tshirt from the studio and mardi gras beads. Hubby Larry had cut him out and painted him etc... so my friend always called the silhouette Larry.

This is the only water we have (I would like to add another one below the deck some day). This is as fancy as us small town hicks get. :)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/012-1.jpg

And Cathy, that or as you can see here in the background on the patio is where the vinyl parties take place. If it's chilly, we have them on the patio because of the outdoor fireplace (another Walmart 1/2 off clearance item :thumbsup: we purchased a couple years ago for about $150.00).We have put it to good use several times! The console and speakers are all wired in the garage and the speakers get moved out to whichever we are at when the time comes.

This "thing" here I bought at an antique show several years ago because I just had to have it. Don't know why but I did and it now hangs on the side of the garage next to the door above ther patio.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/williehoo/011-1-1.jpg

MikeA
06-03-2009, 03:23 PM
Here's that Drooping Mulberry I mentioned. If you go to the album link at http://mvabercrombie.net/abercrombie_albums/2009_0603_yard/2009_0603_yard.html you can see the root that is flexing its muscles!

I also tried to take a couple of macro shots of the clematis blooms but I don't have a very steady hand.

http://mvabercrombie.net/abercrombie_albums/2009_0603_yard/jun03005.jpg

MikeA
06-03-2009, 03:38 PM
Mike, your butt rock story cracked me up (get it? butt crack?) :hilarious:
Anyway, yours seems like a lot of work. Here's our water feature.


Believe me Cathy, I thought I'd heard ALL the buns, I mean puns about that Butt Rock but yours was flesh....I mean fresh...I mean NEW! <SIGH>

I do not critique you at ALL for going with one of the waterfeatures. We very seriously looked at doing an entire garden from the irregular shaped forms combined with a water feature similar to what you have. It took some soul searching before we decided to dig. And if I knew (and felt) what I went through in putting it in after the fact, I'd never have given "natural" a single thought!

I dug every teaspoon of dirt with a Mattoc Pick, shovel and wheel barrow! The small pond wasn't too bad. It's no more than a foot or 18" deep. The big one though, in addition to being roughly 20'x30' is "stepped" down to almost 4' on the bottom! It took me most of a month of digging after getting off work and on weekends. If I did anything like that again, I'd get a power digger...a walk behind backhoe or something.

Willie, we searched high and low for a good piece of driftwood. I finally found one washed up on the banks of a remote lake and it was white and odd shaped. I brought it home but over a period of a couple of years it started decaying and drawing ants and other undesirable creatures to it. Had to get rid of it.

Brooke
06-03-2009, 04:23 PM
I dug every teaspoon of dirt with a Mattoc Pick, shovel and wheel barrow! The small pond wasn't too bad. It's no more than a foot or 18" deep. The big one though, in addition to being roughly 20'x30' is "stepped" down to almost 4' on the bottom! It took me most of a month of digging after getting off work and on weekends. If I did anything like that again, I'd get a power digger...a walk behind backhoe or something.


This is the way we do things at our house, too, Mike. And we think we are having fun! And it is, to a point!

Everyone's gardens are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

Here's part of mine from last year.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/desperado74/Outdoors/232323232fp53445_nu3238_686_269_232.jpg

Underneath the deck is a sitting area with a porch swing and bench.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/desperado74/Outdoors/232323232fp53449_nu3238_686_269_232.jpg

We completely redid our deck last summer. No water features yet. I'm a bit scared of those!

MikeA
06-03-2009, 04:38 PM
Don't be afraid of them Brooke. If you do decide to "do one" talk to me first. I can probably give you some tips that will end up saving a lot of money in construction.

If you are "afraid" of them because of the maintenance, well, there is something to that. At least the first couple of years as the pond is maturing. It'll drive you nuts with the algae blooms. They are a lot easier to keep clean if you do not have fish, but not having fish sort of defeats the purpose <LOL> However, I can say that the little pond that has no fish in it is so easily maintained that I am tempted to try and get rid of the fish in the large pond.

When it starts looking murky, Verna just dumps a gallon of Chlorox in it and bingo! Sparkling clear again! <LOL> The bleach (chlorine) doesn't seem to hurt the flora in the pond although, anything fauna in it might not benefit!

Your yard looks "made for" a water garden! With that slope, you could have a beautiful cascading stream 30' or 40' long emptying into a water garden as large as you might want! The stream itself would serve as the filter. And with the proximity to your little private area under your deck, the sound would be wonderful. And birds LOVE streams! We always have Cardinals, Blue Jays, Oreoles, Finchs, Doves and occasionally, Blue Birds bathing in our stream.

Prettymaid
06-03-2009, 06:58 PM
You guys, this is better than an Outdoor Living magazine! I love looking at all of your gardens (so glad I thought of this!) I'm already stealing ideas!

Brooke your pics are beautiful. Our arbors are very similar!

Koala
06-04-2009, 12:58 AM
Your gardens are all beautiful. :thumbsup:

Prettymaid
06-06-2009, 11:22 AM
Here are a couple more pictures of the secret garden in better light.
From the front...


http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009021.jpg

And from the back...
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009019.jpg

Prettymaid
06-06-2009, 11:29 AM
I've had this peace sign for years and it sums up the feel of the garden.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009025.jpg


An angel watches over the secret garden.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009026.jpg

My new guinea impatien loves it's spot in this 'chair'.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Garden%202009/HomeandGardenSummer2009023.jpg

MikeA
06-06-2009, 02:42 PM
I'm taking a secret from your "secret garden" Cathy. In one of the pictures I posted, I was showing the flowerbed on the west side of our house. To form that bed, I used a radial arm saw and cut up probably 50 landscaping timbers, dug a trench around 1 foot deep and buried the cut timbers (each around 18" long) in the trench standing them up on their ends and butting them together side by side. A lot of work. And if you look at the picture, you'll see that they have rotted even though they were treated.

I need to pull all of those out and I think I'll use those chunky stone type borders that you used in those first and second shots of the rockwork you posted. I don't think the stone will "rot" <LOL>.

I have those timbers ALL OVER the yard, around trees and on three sides of our house. The timbers looked good, like stockades, but it isn't any good if they don't stand up to the test of time!

Prettymaid
06-08-2009, 12:54 PM
Glad we're able to use each others' ideas.

Hey look who was back this weekend. It's Timothy, the bass playing turtle! I snapped these pictures from our front window as we watched him cross from our yard to our neighbors'. Later in the afternoon hubby saw the neighbor and her grandkids playing with him. Maybe he'll be back!

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/th_HomeandGardenSummer2009035.jpg (http://s510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/?action=view&current=HomeandGardenSummer2009035.jpg)

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/th_HomeandGardenSummer2009036.jpg (http://s510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/?action=view&current=HomeandGardenSummer2009036.jpg)

TimothyBFan
06-08-2009, 12:55 PM
:hilarious: He knew you had been talking about him!

Prettymaid
06-08-2009, 05:12 PM
:hilarious: He knew you had been talking about him!

Actually Willie, I think he's heading north towards you to meet up with Don the drumming frog! :hilarious:

Troubadour
06-08-2009, 06:23 PM
PM, I just love your garden. The 'peace' sign is fab.

In the absence of a garden of my own, I took a few pictures of my grandparents' back garden while I was there this weekend. I used to live with them so we spent a lot of time playing there as kids.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c374/Lulabelle_/gggarden.jpg

As you can see, the lawn's looking a bit ropey. It's a long-running joke in my family... We actually bought my Grandad a little picket sign saying "I fought the lawn and the lawn won" but he doesn't seem to have it in sight anywhere... Hmm. I'll have to have words! ;)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c374/Lulabelle_/ggpatio.jpg

The patio from the left-hand side. Finally, my grandma made me take this picture because she's proud of 'em...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c374/Lulabelle_/SDC10293.jpg

TimothyBFan
06-09-2009, 08:56 AM
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c374/Lulabelle_/ggpatio.jpg


Lou-do you know what kind of plant that is along the border above? We are looking for something like that for one of our areas but can't find anything that we like or will work.

Prettymaid
06-09-2009, 09:17 AM
Troub thanks for posting those pics. I also have fond memories of my grandparent's yard, complete with an old grapevine arbor and an outhouse! My grandparents are long gone, but my memories have barely faded.

Their garden is lovely. I'm sure your grandfather is skeptical about the sign because he doesn't want to admit defeat! ( You know how men are!)

ticky
07-26-2009, 09:06 PM
Okay, I was hesitant to post my garden here cuz, well, it's a working garden and Im not too picky about weeds and order. My aunt, who's a master gardener, always told me not to sweat the weeds and bugs, concentrate on the plants and soil and the weeds and bugs will take care of themselves. SO, here it is, it its wild glory, where I spend most of my time :)

I used to special order sunflower seeds for the garden, now they're all volunteer. I think next year I'll get some russian giant seeds tho, all the hybrids seem to have resorted back to their base flower. Pretty, but I miss the giants.
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden20.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden14.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden3.jpg

the other tall flower there that doesnt look like Sunflower leaves is somethign we call Kiss me Over the Garden Gate, its very exotic looking and has long seedy maroon colored flowers around late august.

ticky
07-26-2009, 09:12 PM
Some things are almost done, like the blueberries
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden9.jpg

and the raspberries, but they'll make another burst later in the summer..
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden17.jpg

and others are just starting, like the dahlias,
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden13.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden18.jpg

and the zinnias..
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden15.jpg

ticky
07-26-2009, 09:17 PM
The vegies are the heart of the garden, they get priority. The Green Beans are starting to produce which is why Im a canning fool right now...
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden5.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden6.jpg

in a day or two, they'll be loaded!

The tomatoes have a few days yet, but it wont be long!!
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden7.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden8.jpg

ticky
07-26-2009, 09:25 PM
Im sure you're already all aware of my zucchini over load...
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden1.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden21.jpg

I try and make a few spots where I can just kick back and take it easy in the sun or shade,
http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden12.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden22.jpg

ticky
07-26-2009, 09:29 PM
and the flowers...

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden19.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden4.jpg

http://tickypages.com/picturebin/garden09/garden23.jpg

Brooke
07-26-2009, 10:14 PM
Beautiful, Ticky!

We plant tomatoes, onions, and corn (which the squirrels eat before we can get it), but just enough to eat fresh. Also pumpkins and zinnias for fun.

I refuse to do home canning anymore. Maybe when I retire from my day job!

Prettymaid
07-27-2009, 08:02 AM
Ticky, your garden looks awesome and I'm very impressed with your skills as a gardener and a canner!

TimothyBFan
07-27-2009, 08:24 AM
Very very nice. Reminds me of when I was a kid and we had a HUGE garden every year and my Mom spent months canning stuff as it all was harvested. One of the reasons I swore I would never do it when I got older.

BTW--thought you had actually sent some of those zucchini to Indiana over the weekend, came home Saturday and found 3 big ones in a bag hanging on our door. My niece had been by and dropped them off, but for a minute I thought you really were putting them in cars, windows and mailboxes. :hilarious:

MikeA
07-27-2009, 09:15 AM
Lots of Sun Flowers in Kansas. Shoot, they are a secondary crop up north of us along highway 70. But I REALLY like that "exotic" one that ISN'T a sunflower. Are they as invasive as our variety? The normal ones sprout up just about everywhere around here, especially under bird feeders for some reason <LOL>

I'm posting a pic here as an attachment though it will probably reduce in size so that it isn't recognizable. It's part of our automatic pest control and sometimes mistakes people for PESTS.

I've tried to identify it from books and as near as I can tell, it is a Mississippi Kite. They either perch on power lines or the tops of trees or they are soaring while scouting for lunch. I love to watch them glide around effortlessly but there is power in them wings too! Fast as greased lightning! And they are VERY territorial and WILL actually attack humans if they get too close to the area where they are nesting!

Prettymaid
08-25-2009, 08:28 AM
Hubby has been building a deck in our backyard.
I thought I'd post some before and after pics.
The first one is Phase 1, which was completed last year.
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DSC00782.jpg

Here's a photo of Phase 2, before and after.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DSC01016.jpg


http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009002.jpg

Prettymaid
08-25-2009, 08:32 AM
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DSC01013.jpg


http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009010.jpg

Prettymaid
08-25-2009, 08:37 AM
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009006.jpg


http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009007.jpg


This shows the privacy screen Hubby built around the air conditioner.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009017.jpg

Stars
08-25-2009, 08:38 AM
PM-looks lovely! Can I come visit you??:-)

TimothyBFan
08-25-2009, 09:40 AM
I am loving the little waterfall. I've been wanting something similar for a corner we have but it needs to be easy and cheap, hence the reason I don't have one yet. Looks very peaceful. Hope you and Eric spend many pleasant hours there.

Brooke
08-25-2009, 10:02 AM
That is just beautiful, Cathy. I love it! I also love all the big trees surrounding the area. I really like the wood color floor with the white railing. Your hubby did a wonderful job! :thumbsup:

We are getting ready to build on to our backyard deck, too. I'll post when it's finished.

Ive always been a dreamer
08-25-2009, 11:09 AM
It really is very pretty, Cathy. I hope you'll enjoy it!

ticky
08-25-2009, 11:50 AM
Wow Cathy, That's beautiful! Im impressed with hubby's carpentry skills!! My father is an amazing carpenter as well, but he's 72 years old! Someday.. IF I ever get the kitchen cleaned completely (see the neatnik thread... also this is where Cliff and Sarah's computers are) I will take pics. My father added it to the end of the house about 14 years ago. We have a deck he and Cliff built as well, but it's never been finished (Cliff's job *G* he said, "eh, good nuff" *G*) To be fair, it's just missing the benches on the sides which were optional anyway.
He and Cliff also built my green house! Notice it's never been painted LOL

AmarilloByMorning
08-25-2009, 11:56 AM
ticky - I'm exceptionally hungry now. The raspberries!! Great green beans, too - those are my favorite.

Prettymaid - :woah: Love the deck-in-progress photos!

I acquired pocket money in high school & undergrad tending other people's yards, so I appreciate the immense amount of effort concealed in those photos!

Koala
08-25-2009, 12:30 PM
Your garden is beautiful, PM!

Prettymaid
08-25-2009, 01:12 PM
I really like the wood color floor with the white railing.

Thanks everybody. Brooke, we saw a picture in a magazine of the wood stained deck with white railing and fell in love with it.

Notice the birdfeeder - several weeks ago we woke up to the top of the feeder off. The pole is 7 ft. tall. Something was smart enough to climb up the pole and open the feeder! As you can see, Hubby attached bungee cords to the top but they still got in! As a last resort he put grease on the pole. Not very attractive, but by golly we outsmarted those varmints!

MikeA
08-25-2009, 01:41 PM
yewueeeeee...

Consider the possibility of some "varmint" that just stood up and took the top off! Maybe you need steel jawed traps! I have a cousin in Alaska who has trouble with Bears getting up on her deck at night and raiding the feeders. Of course, she also has Moose eating her prize flowers too.

But, seriously, what could defeat bungee cords? Were they chawed through?

I do love your deck. Compliments to your carpenter! I remember all too well all the leveling and setting of the supports. Looked like a disaster area until it was completed. And, I swear not ONE of the decking planks was straight. Had to force each section into line by bending it with a "jury rigged" pry bar before using decking screws (LONG 3" or so screws you had to pre-drill and then set into place with a drill and a bit that often reamed out the philips head on the screws!)

The end result though is worth it and yours is pristine!

Brooke
08-25-2009, 01:46 PM
Pm, I have trouble with squirrels climbing onto my bird feeders. They are very pesky creatures. With all of your trees, they are probably the culprits. Hubby cracked down on them this spring, meaning there are a lot less of them around now! :shock:

I've been having trouble with a possum coming up on our deck and trying to get in the barbecue grill. I even opened the patio door one night to bring in the cat food and there he was eating it right at my feet! He just looked at me and continued munching Beyonce's Science Diet! After a quick scream, (didn't phase him) I got a broom and pushed him off the deck to hear him plod on the ground 7 feet below. I hoped it didn't kill him, cause then the next morning I would have to scoop up a dead possum and dispose of it! Yuk! Thankfully, in the morning he was gone. Well, hubby finally set his live trap Saturday night by the barbecue grill and low and behold Sunday morning we had him! We took him to the woods a few miles away and let him loose. He'll probably be back by this weekend!

ticky
08-25-2009, 02:12 PM
Brooke, We had the same problem the whole time I was growing up. There's a sizable wooded area behind my parents house and the possums were thick! They're the brassiest creatures! they'd just hiss at us and our poor cats were always getting in fights with them. I hate to say it, but they only stopped coming round when my Dad took his rifle out. A few pot shots at them and they quit coming. Of course these days I dont think you could get away with that. Good luck!

Brooke
08-25-2009, 04:10 PM
Ticky, the gun is the next option, but we didn't want to shoot him on our deck! Ewwwww! We live in the country, so it's not a problem.

We had so many rabbits eating the flowers and garden veggies a couple years ago, that even I, myself, got out my trusty 410 and blasted a couple of the varmits! :thumbsup:

EagleLady
08-25-2009, 04:17 PM
I am sorry, but I believe shooting animals is wrong.

Brooke
08-25-2009, 04:20 PM
Oops, EL. Just doing what had to be done to save my garden there.

I'll keep my redneck ways to myself from now on!

EagleLady
08-25-2009, 04:22 PM
Not trying to offend you, Please, by all means, you can protect your garden, I was suggesting some humane ways of getting rid of the animals.

Brooke
08-25-2009, 04:36 PM
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009006.jpg


http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009007.jpg


This shows the privacy screen Hubby built around the air conditioner.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s348/chilca0001/Our%20Deck/DECK2009017.jpg

Had to see these again, Pm! Could you send your hubby over to help my hubby?

Prettymaid
08-25-2009, 04:53 PM
yewueeeeee...
Consider the possibility of some "varmint" that just stood up and took the top off! ...But, seriously, what could defeat bungee cords? Were they chawed through?

I'll have to check with Hubby again. I thought he meant they were unhooked, which leads me to believe a raccoon got up there. We also have possum and deer. A deer would be tall enough, but not smart enough. We both assumed it was a raccoon.

Thanks again everyone. Hubby would love your kind words. I'm proud of him! :-D

MikeA
08-25-2009, 04:56 PM
First off, opossums are about the closest things to the first evolutionary mammals still alive today. They really are throwback to another prehistoric age. They live that long I think because they virtually can't be killed! No way is a 7' fall going to phase them.

We had skunks digging underneath our concrete swimming pool deck a couple of years ago. They would have been no problem if I'd lived out in the county and not within the city limits. If you shoot a firearm within our city limits, you'd best have a dead human INSIDE you house with a deadly weapon drawn to show the police!

So we rented "live" traps. I didn't want "dead" traps (LOL), not when I was targeting SKUNKS! You bait the traps with peanut butter and granola. The Skunk crawls inside the trap and when they bite on the bait, it trips the trapdoor. The enclosure is tight enough that the animal can't lift its tail and if it can't lift its tail, It can't spray! And it's "humane" in that he or she will have that snack to munch on until you dispose of them.

Which brings you to the point of "Okay, now I've got him, what the heck do I do with him?" 'Hi nice kitty. Run along now and please don't come back?" <LOL>

I Tied rope to the bed of my truck and put two quick release clips on the end that would clip onto the front of the trap. The rope was long enough to allow the trap to slide to the back of the truck bed and tilt over the tailgate before the rope stopped it. Find a remote gravel road; stop and lower the tailgate; accelerate enough to slide the trap to the rear and off the tailgate and pop the rope tight and the critter slides out the back through the spring loaded trap door and onto the road at which time you kick in the nitrous oxide and get the heck out of there!

Well, Three mornings in a row, I had possums in my trap! Never did catch the skunk but did cover up the hole under the swimming pool. Never did smell them again nor did we see them. Our neighbors had two THIS year and then paid $200 EACH for a professional to come trap them and dispose of them.

It sure was easier when I lived in the country. I'm quite sure that if a human invaded a Bear's den he most likely wouldn't do it but once. I have no qualms about using the same tactics when an undesirable animal invades my castle.

Oh, Rocky Raccoon is MEAN! They can kill a dog if they are close enough to water deep enough. They will grab a dog at the neck and just hang on until they can pull them to the water at which time the dog is tired and the coon can get them in the pond and drown them. One almost had my 50 pound Buckwheat into our watergarden one night. Man, they growl like lions or badgers!

But they are SMART. You have probably guessed right Cathy.

Troubadour
08-25-2009, 05:41 PM
Gorgeous photos, Cathy. Love the decking, and the chairs and tables... It all looks so lovely. I want to come over for a few drinks on a warm summer's evening, please!

Prettymaid
08-25-2009, 09:56 PM
Gorgeous photos, Cathy. Love the decking, and the chairs and tables... It all looks so lovely. I want to come over for a few drinks on a warm summer's evening, please!


Lou, we've tested it for that purpose and it works great! C'mon over!