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Saturday 11 April 2009

Garden 101 to Garden SNAP !!

These are some of my very first "digital" pictures taken with my very first digital camera. A Toshiba which served me well. In fact my lap top is a Toshiba which still serves me dandy !
This is my treasured Sumac as a baby .. I know .. baby pictures can be a scary thing but you have to say he was a cutie pie as said baby : ) right ?
The tiny twin trunks look like toothpicks compared to how he looks today .. well September last year .. and we already saw how scary he looks right now with the "pollard" trick .. fingers still crossed for the same result this year .. I'll breath easier when I see those new arms coming out.
So neat and tidy and organized looking eh ?
Now look at my monster ! ... quite a difference in about 5 years isn't there ?
I still have the same bit of driftwood in the bed if you can make it out ....
Now for the incredibly BARE naked arbor .. there is a cherry tree where the Pacific Sunset Maple is now .. and quite a few more under plantings and bed expansion has happened.

I think I used Morning Glories to green up the space a little until the 1st grape vine had a chance to start its uphill battle .. a dogwood and Tradescantia were keeping it company too.
The above picture was last June and the below picture was September .. you can see what a couple of months do for growth ?

Joe Pye was a giant and we had grapes upon grapes over the arbor .. you can hardly see the wood of the arbor compared to the naked pictures just after it was built. I think it was about 5 years ago .. how time flys ? or was that my memory and brain cell count ?

21 comments:

Lynn said...

Your garden is beautiful and lush... I love the Sumac what a difference since the first picture. I love the red! I would love to have an arbor that big. Did you build it yourself?
Have a great easter!!!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Lynn thanks girl !
Sumacs have always fascinated me and I swore I would have at least one in my garden. This one has grown to be a beauty : )
We had the arbor built by a carpenter that straightened our fence out at the same time .. it has been about 5 years ago .. it is made out of ceder so it should stand for a good while hopefully ? LOL .. have a great Easter too !

Pat said...

Have to admit..September pics of the garden are the best but maybe too tidy...ha
You said Sumac?
I've seen you show this tree before,but for the life of me can't remember seeing anything around here with those red shoots before.

Brenda Pruitt said...

I bought a gardening magazine at the supermarket today. I flipped it open in the car and one of the pages reminded me of your garden. I just love how you created your garden, Joy.
Brenda

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Patsi .. red shoots .. LOL .. this particular Sumac is called "Staghorn Sumac" .. those are actually small red berries that make up each horn .. they can be used as a "tea" to drink, although I have never used them for that .. they are very pretty for Autumn flower arrangements : )
I have never seen anyone else prune it to grow the way I have though .. so it is my special garden child ? : )

Anonymous said...

Five years really makes a difference in the garden huh Joy? Looking good!

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I love the before and after pictures. What a huge difference. Everything has really filled in and its so pretty! I have to keep remembering to do that so I have something to look at and remember how it was(-:
Happy Easter!!!!! Hope the Easter Bunny is good to you this year!!!

Gail said...

Joy, I always love a good before and after photo and these are great. It's filled in beautifully and the sumac...is the King of the garden! I sure wish I could add a few to my garden...must find a spot! Have a good day...watch the chocolate! gail

Carrie said...

A little piece of heaven. Your garden is a true joy. Ours doesn't peek until later in the summer/autumn but I am proud of it. The hubby designed it and at the time he didn't even know the difference between a daff and a tulip. He loves it but it really was a gift for me as I don't go out much.

WiseAcre said...

I just knew you were a Hairy Berry fan.

Oh - did you know Sumac is in the same family as Poison Ivy?

Barry said...

Joy:
Gorgeous pictures... and I am amazed that you have managed to keep the Staghorn under control! You have made a wonderful speciment out of yours! I have been thinking of adding one that is known as 'Tiger Eyes' with bright red and yellow very dissected foliage, but afraid that it will take over my small yard!
I love the September photo... so lush and green and everything so... gorgeous!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Racquel .. I don't think there is any other place that shows such dramatic change by way of an enthusiastic gardener ! LOL

Hi Cindy .. I have gone through 3 cameras now, so the garden is not the only change happening over the years .. each year I think we both get a little better at it ? haha
YES ! you must take pictures girl !!

Gail .. I have been chocolate free for two days now (unbelievable right ?? LOL) I have to get clean and sober from chocolate for a while, what a time to start eh ? haha .. YES ! You have to have a little Sumac in your garden some where girl !

Carrie ! .. that is such a sweet gift from your husband girl : ) .. He has to be a talented gardener to start from scratch like that.
Believe it or not I don't go out much either .. unless on a plant hunting expedition (summer wise).. winters , well hubby and I team up for errands etc .. other wise I'm in my pajamas ; )

Dear Mr. WiseA** .. leave it to you to bring up two sensitive issues .. hairy berry ? I prefer to call them handsome berry ! and as for his relations .. well I stopped slow dancing naked with him when he got too tall .. so that resolved a tickly issue ; )

Hi Teza .. Thank you ! .. Tiger Eyes is a gorgeous cultivar in the Sumac family : ) .. I have thought about it myself .. so now that you see that they can be pruned to your ideas you might consider following through with getting one ? You know you want to !! LOL
No .. I understand how precious space is in your garden .. I would be as stoic about the subject as well ! You can enjoy mine in the mean time ? : )

BRENDA !! I didn't see you there until now girl ! some mornings I really should have the big second cup of coffee ; )
That is very kind of you Brenda .. thank you girl : )

Gail said...

Joy, I was looking through my plant tags and found a troutlily tag that said GardenJoy from Holland! Have a good day! gail

wiseacre said...

Oh Joy,

Happy Easter
Since you egged me on over at Blotanical I figured I should get up to something.

Stop by for a visit at my blog and I'll share with ya.

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful to see how the garden -- and the gardener -- progresses and changes from year to year. :) Always love to see your gardens.

Nola said...

That sumac is spectacular. I can't believe it's only 5 years old; I didn't know they grew that fast. I'll have to check and see if they grow here, that's a lot of tree for only 5 years.

karenleigh said...

Love the before and after photos. What a smart thing to document like that. I'm fascinated by your sumac. Just researched a little, and it will grow in NC. I may have to add this to my list!

Kathleen said...

oh my. Five years has made a big difference, hasn't it? All for the better too. Everything looks so lush and full. I can't wait for the green of summer again. You should be proud of what you've built/accomplished in your garden. Happy Easter too!! Have you eaten all those chocolate bunnies yet??!! ;-)

Tessa said...

Joy, I love the Sumac! I like to use them, along with Pampas, in the fall to make swags- just beautiful together :). So, I'm curious, how long did it take it to get that size?

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

You have got a beautiful garden. Love the pathway with the lush growth on both sides. It is nice to be able to touch the plants while walking past, trailing the fingers over silky petals and bury the nose in scented flowers! The Sumac is an interesting tree as Sumac is widely used in the Moroccan cuisine. It gives a sour, lemony taste. Are you using the berries to make the spice? It is a beautiful looking tree.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Gail !! ... that is too funny , especially since I lived in the Netherlands for 4 years (oops !the secret is out now !! I'm a giant garden supplier ; ) haha

Dear Mr. WiseA** seeing all those bunny beans made me laugh .. how ever did you collect so many ? Did you pay in carrots to collect BEANS ?

Hi Nancy .. it is truly a life altering experience and I mean that .. I'm a different person/gardener from when I first became serious about enjoy it so much : )

Nola the secret to its growth is a good supply of water .. by circumstance it got extra water because I planted a "Lady-in-Red" fern next to it (which is a monster too) so I wanted to make sure it got lots of water .. they both did : ) .. I always wanted a Sumac and I took special care of this one .. I don't think there is another out there that looks quite the same !

Hello Karenleigh .. It is a very tough shrub/tree and there are a lot of cultivars plus the native ones .. this one is a "Staghorn Sumac" .. I'm curious to know what types are available for you there ?

Kathleen .. it is killing me to see my back garden in such a mess waiting on the deck crew to do their thing .. we have a full week of beautiful weather so there is NO reason not to get this done !
I swear I will lose it soon if I can't get into my garden and work on it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! aaarrgghhh !!!

Hi Tessa .. I wish we could do pampas grass here .. our neighbor's in Holland had it and it was beautiful ! sharp blades of grass though .. yikes !
It has been about 5 years and the secret as I was telling Nola, is watering it very well .. it will grow fast so pruning goes hand in hand with it for the shape you want : )

Hi Titania .. Thank you ! .. it is wonderful to touch plants .. it seems to keep me in such a better mood during the summer/Autumn.
I didn't know that about the Moroccan use of it ! .. I know the berries can be steeped for tea but I haven't done that .. yet ? LOL
I dry herbs and jar them .. I wanted to try oils soon but it depends on how well I am doing .. there is such a benefit to extending that "touch" as long as possible : )