At the end of the post for the July calendar, I added a photo of the small jungle garden in front of our house.
When we bought our place almost 18 years ago (!) it had a huge sprawling evergreen and a very prickly holly bush under the front window. I despised that evergreen. My great aunt (the previous owner) used to pay me a penny for each bagworm I would pick off that thing. GAG!
The evergreen became so overgrown that it had to be removed. Really--it would've caused structural problems. Honest. Once we pulled it out, roots and all, we were left with a rather large hole. Of course I couldn't stand to just fill it with dirt, so I found a claw foot tub (in the back yard) and an old oil can (also in the back yard. If you only knew!) and convinced Andy to dig out a little more so the tub would fit in the hole and we would have a wonderful little pond.
The little garden has just kind of evolved since then. I have a lot of ajuga (I think that's how it's spelled) and vinca, some Japanese iris or flags, a painted fern, and some lily of the valley. Several years ago one of my aunts gave me some REAL water lilies. Native Missouri water lilies--not the wimpy kind you buy at Lowe's. I tried several different water plants before Becky gave these to me, but nothing would carry over from year to year. These puppies are HARRR--DY!
When I finished posting the July calendar I went out to clean up a bit around the pond. The lily of the valley had really kicked in the last couple of years and kind of taken over the small space. I transplanted several clumps to a small hosta garden under a walnut tree in the back yard and took out what was left of a sad little azalea that just never took hold. I also had to work on (and by "work on" I really mean "beat on the porch floor repeatedly") the pump to get it to work again. Now all I need is a couple of bags of mulch to define the little path that goes behind the tub.
Doesn't it look better? It sounds great, too.
The front porch is just a few steps to the left, with a good old-fashioned porch rocker, some lush Boston ferns, a porch swing, and even some old motel chairs. I kind of like my place. Can you tell?
Where is your favorite place in your house?
Come back in a few days to check out another upcycling project. I'll show you how to turn an outdated frame into a shabby chic jewelry display.
Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment