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Wednesday 17 February 2010

My Garden Skeletons

How many women would face the world without a glimmer of make-up ? .. I'm so scary I wouldn't do that to you poor people !
I'm communing with my garden having it feel some what the same way .. bare bones, scary ..
The only colour is beige on beige and brown really with touches of gray ?
I have to admit it gives you the chance to see what can and should be improved ... and that is exactly what I am up to finally !
I started calling landscapers for consultations and I have my first appointment/walk through next Tuesday .. I am EXCITED beyond EXCITED : )
How depressing is that view I ask you ?
My remnants of river rock border I tried out .. took me a while and it just looks like I dumped a bunch of rocks there ?
OK .. the over turned urn doesn't help .. but that is winter storage .. sort of ?
How dead can a garden look ? .. pretty scary right ?
Husband trimmed back so much of the grape vine I thought I was going to SCREAM (as in the movie) .. but I always said that was the one plant he could play with .. little did I know he was going to DO THAT ?????????
My job is to clean out and cut back the kiwi vine .. I have been ignoring it for a few years and that is NOT a good thing to do ... tisk tisk !
The Bittersweet does it's own thing and I just trim it up a few times to keep it neat and tidy .. I can't complain about it .. but I do have to move Quick Fire hydrangea out from underneath it .. too shaded for that beauty .. I am planning on a few Jack Frost brunnera to move in as the new tenants and they will brighten the area up with their BIG smiley foliage let alone those gorgeous little blue flowers : )
What a mess eh ? .. the bed that the monster passionflower vine resides along with my Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose and a few bits and pieces of fescue .. lavender .. day lily .. an odd assortment of bedfellows ? It needs to be a PROPER bed first of all !!!
Avert your eyes quickly !!!
Next the "ally way of nonsense" .. huge rock the deck guys dug up and left for us .. this is where we want the bed to go around the corner and join in on the FUN ? ;-)
Problem # 1 .. taking out the old lilac (I'm sorry to see it go but go it must) .. and I am HUNTING the elusive Korean Maple aka Acer pseudosieboldianum !! I am determined it will be THE tree to dedicate for Earth Day : ) .. if not I will cry buckets and get on with it anyways ?
Getting this old lilac out is going to take a bit of dynamite I fear ?
My love and garden hero my Staghorn Sumac .. it is coming up to the time to pollard it and I think husband and tree are beginning to WINCE every time I look at it let alone say .. "the time is coming up for surgery !!" hehehehe
It will be a raving beauty once more though .. I have never seen one done the way I do mine and that makes me happy because I think we all want an individual look about something in our gardens , don't we ?

Finally .. Winthrop ponders what adventures he will be watching while I go nilly willy .. happily along as a mad woman gardener up to my neck in plants and planning and LOVING every second of it ! ... I'm so glad we had this chat ? ;-)

28 comments:

F Cameron said...

Your "Winter Me" photo is very pretty! No need to hide your winter face.

The winter does give us a chance to reassess... just keeping looking at your green and colorful photos until spring arrives.

Hope your landscaping projects go well. I'll check in to watch the progress as the new look unfolds.

Keep on keepin' on!
Cameron

PS gave you a love-link today about the SNOW SEASON

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Sadly, I'm immune to these scary images, Joy, because my garden (back, front and on the sides of the house) is much worse. As far as I'm concerned, your side of town looks much nicer than what I have to offer.

But spring is on its way, right? And that means GARDENING! So despair not my dear friend on the other side of town, because before you know it, you'll be putting everyone to shame with that beautiful garden of yours that springs back to life each spring! And remember, I've seen your gorgeous garden in person, and I know there's no need for you to be so humble!

I'm working on an email for you, but in the meantime I wanted you to know that I can't stop laughing about the comment your hubby made about ending up on the Jerry Springer show with Bailey's identification problem. I can actually imagine a show like that with Bailey and Nacho on one end and me and my daughter on the other. Then some family members and friends will pop in by surprise, and eventually chairs will be flying around and some type of fight will break out. And Jerry Springer will stand on the side so he doesn't get hurt and do the commentary! LOL...

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Great post Joy! You're being far too hard on yourself, there really isn't anything scare at all! It's just an awful time of year for gardens, our little 'ugly spots' look so much better when surrounded by green grass & fresh leaves & blooms. Nice to see you ahve someone to watch over the garden. :)

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I like the analogy of the garden being in bed asleep with its makeup off. My garden is still under snow. Hopefully it will start melting away tomorrow when it gets up to 32 or so. You have so many projects to look forward to.

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

Joy, good luck with the landscapers. I hope they come up with something brilliant for you, and if they are good looking, even better!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Freda girl thank you ! you are a sweetie : ) Yes .. winter, especially the tail/tale end of it ? provides a real "push" to examine what we can fix and fiddle with to crank it up a notch for the better .. I am really hoping for a near miracle to have more privacy and much more Eden to enjoy as we all want right ? You are too good to me girl ! I appreciate the linkage ? LOL
The girls send their regards to Charm and hope she is a happy snuggle puppy on her poofy bed ;-)

Martha girl .. Spring starts dragging her feet when she knows we are so anxious ? universal law is, what ever you want badly is sure to slow down the more you want it ? haha
OMG ! I have that mental picture of you guys on the Jerry Springer show ever since John said that .. and I can't stop giggling every time I think of you thinking Bailey is/was a girl .. now how funny is that anyways ? Nacho never had those type of ID problems so she is totally secure with herself .. she will help Bailey DEAL with it I am sure ! LOL
YES !! you will be able to see in person if my dream plans can materialize (or if I can afford them , more likely ??) ;-)

Rebecca you have to find yourself the right kind of gargoyle to help watch over your garden too ! That is one of your missions this year OK ??? I want to see you have a helpmate ? ;-) .. Yes ! what foliage can do to dress up ugly spots is almost a miracle .. I am so ready for that ! come on Spring !

Lisa it just struck me that way today .. maybe because I'm in my pajamas and make-up-less ? scary but we all have to do that some time right ? and it just felt like a natural bond to my garden looking so .. hum .. bare faced ? haha .. I hope you get your warm weather and the snow does start retreating finally .. fingers crossed !

Deborah ! girl , is that a "naughty"| side to you ? coming out with the good looking landscapers (I'll take pictures so you can see them in action .. when I finally pick the right company out ? haha) .. that will be one of the requirements .. my friend Deborah insists on good looking well built hunks to scape my land ? LOL ...

miss m said...

Joy, your garden may be without make-up, but mine still has a one foot thick facial mask on. Yours is much easier on the eyes, believe me !

Personally, I think your space is perfectly lovely the way it is but if you think it needs improving, so be it. I love a revamp !

ps. You've inspired me to keep my Robinia. I see it's a good candidate for pollarding. Perfect !

Gail said...

Dear Joy, I am so glad you are feeling better. I have never thought your garden was in bad shape...But I do understand the need to get feedback and input from professionals. They did wonders with my Garden of Benign Neglect! Have fun! gail

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Winter is a great time to see what needs changing, actually to me that's the fun part. I know you are anxious to get going!
I love the gate to your side yard! I'm sure it'll be fun to hear what the landscaper suggests.

Barry said...

Eddie:

You weren't seriously going to rathe the landscapers on their talents were you? God woman, haven't I taught you anything???

Perhaps I will take a photo of the back end [not mine you shameful tart you!] of the Shaded Walk. I have balck wrought iron trellis tipsy turvy, and a pile that was supposed to be covered to start compost for the coming season, and more freaking plastic pots than you can possibly imagine....... OMFG! But its the Olympics, and men's figure skating, leave me alone I'm busy focusing on their rear ends..... oops, I mean calve muscles, or thighs... or perhaps I will just shut up now! Rest assured, you are not alone!

Pats

Dave@TheHomeGarden said...

I saw in a recent magazine where two homeowners shared a landscaper to design the area between their homes. You probably could get your neighbor to let them landscape the alley between your houses pretty easily! Thinking about the plan is always very fun!

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

I wouldn't dream of letting y'all look at my garden right now. Scary muddy mess. Love this post.

Cat said...

Oh boy do I have pictures to post this week!
But first must find the time.
I saw your bare bones and thought I might send Miss Abigail over to pose a bit, but I wasn't sure what Winthrop and his boys would make of it.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Joy, what exciting plans you have for your 'old skeletons!' :-)

This is what I LOVE about gardeners, they can stare down the beige and grey and see the beauty to come. You are a visionary woman! I am right on this...!

Kerri said...

What an exciting project you have to look forward to, Joy! Hang in there...the garden is hibernating, building up strength for the big comeback :)
Mine is covered in the white stuff at the moment....and has been for weeks!

Muhammad khabbab said...

Well i think it is looking fabulous. Not bad at all. I am sure as soon as it warms up, it will flourish again. And then do post the pics of wonderful blooms which i have seen a lot on your blog.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

miss m girl !! Thank you so much : ) If I have helped rescue your Robinia (which I had to look up , I haven't heard of it before !) I am so happy ! It looks like such a pretty tree and I want to see how it all goes for you with the pollard technique !!

Gail girl .. I can't tell you how excited I am .. a little nervous too because a pro is going to REALLY LOOK at what I have done and what I want done .. Merri has a sense of humour so it could be a few good laughs along the way as well .. but I also have a number of others to call and get an estimate from .. I'm so happy : )

Catherine girl : ) I planed two clematis or three actually .. Sweet Autumn, Henrii and Niobe plus the ornamental kiwi vine on this arbor gate to COVER it in foliage and flowers .. it was a pet project and I want to cover my neighbor's side in masses of it too .. a total green and flowery structure ? ;-) I love working with that area and hope it looks even better this year : )

Pats sweetie ! How are you ? ;-)
Don't you worry (frown wrinkles will have to be sorted out for you .. a few jabs with the instant freeze Botox thing !) I won't allow landscapers to wrangle me with their awesome ? powers .. You know me .. stubborn to the end !
I will be thinking of you and ready with the camera when the "men" move in to do their thing .. some candid pictures will be snapped I'm sure .. and sweetie .. relax and enjoy the view with the Olympics .. I totally understand ! wink wink : )

Dear Dave ! How are you ? : ) YES !! .. my neighbor has given me free hand for the ally way and I am anxious to see what other suggestions will come to the surface with this special spot .. I split a few heucheras and ostrich ferns that filled in quite fast along with different lamium and Gold Creeping Jenny .. and ornamental grass as tall guards at the opening from the front .. I think I did good for the first year : )

Debbie girl !! I have to get over to your place and see what you have been up to ! .. mud ? did the rain come after the snow and drive you nuts ? almost as bad as our cabin fever thing .. your garden will look spectacular sooner than mine I'm afraid .. but happy for you ! : )

Cat girl .. I admired Miss Abigail so much from that post of yours .. and the boys along with Winthrop would be speechless with excitement if she ever dropped by .. now that would be a crowd pleaser here with all my guys : ) I have to see your pictures girl !!

Ms S : ) YOU are so sweet thank you ! I think you are totally RIGHT ! The hard core gardeners can bare to look at the sad state of our gardens in the winter and imagine the best for them .. we follow through as much as possible and STILL keep dreaming on .. it NEVER STOPS and that makes us eternally HOPEFULL seeing the glass as always half full no matter what ! I think I just got on a soap box ? LOL ;-)

Kerri girl .. mine is actually under more white stuff today as well .. I caught these pictures in between all of the fluffy goings on ? LOL .. I can well imagine you are thinking about what you want to do this year too ! We are going to have fun this year aren't we ? LOL : )

MK !! Thank you so much : ) I get so wrapped up in enthusiasm I find it hard to sit still to do my computer work .. all I can think of is what will it be like ? Lots of pictures will be snapped : )

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Joy, Did we discuss gargoyles a while back, or are you reading my mind?? I am on a mission to find the perfect gargoyle (similar to yours), and went shopping over the holidays. My garden centre knows me well (well, they should given the amount of time & $ I spend there lol). Anyhow, they handle their crazy obsessive customers (ie me) very well, and allowed me to go and search their snowed in storage buildings for garden ornamentation. Long story short (well, not so short actually), I was unable to find one with the right look. I will keep at it this summer, but yes, a gargoyle is a MUST. :o)

Kyna said...

I don't think your 'winter garden' looks bad, all the rest ours above a certain latitude look the same lol. You're right about it all being one colour though...I always feel like the winter pictures I take all seem very bland, and they sorta blend together. lol

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Rebecca girl ! i think you are right about the previous conversation (I have so few active brain cells some days it is scary !!) ..and .. you are RIGHT to hold off until you find just the right gargoyle !! .. I still look to add to my collection but you will know when that feeling hits you like a BIG stick : ) that will be the "Take me home NOW" from the little guy and you will love him : ) Keep searching .. he is out there for YOU !!

Kyna girl .. it is that time of year I just want to scream when I look outside .. but .. one saving grace is that I am setting up appointments with contractors to finish the landscaping and that helps a great deal with the utter doldrums of this time of year .. the option to just scream still grabs me once in a while (I don't want to scare the neighbors that much though .. they already had 48 hours of me throwing up in the bathroom ? hahaha) .. yuck !! LOL

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Winter time in the garden is always bleak(-: As far as plant life goes anyhow. I love the snow and all the cool frost etc(-: I love rain! I really enjoy sitting and watching it fall!
I love Spring though and its coming soon(-:
I can't wait to see what new things you do to your garden!!!(-:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Cindee girl : ) I love listening to the rain when it comes in Spring too (I just know all of the plants are too happy to have a bath to soak in and wake up from winter with ?) .. I can't tell you how excited I am about having actual professionals look at the garden and help me figure out ways for more privacy and beauty : )
I just got an e-mail from another company today !!! Yippeeeee !!

Anonymous said...

I just wanted let you know, yesterday I looked at your May through October posts, they were all so pretty. I'm a Stalker! I loved the summer view through the arbor, and all your planting combinations are so pretty. and I couldn't get over how pretty your container plantings were.

Rose said...

You must be feeling better, Joy, to have such ambitious plans! I have a feeling once all the snow melts here, I'll have plenty of to-do projects revealed for me to do, too.

VW said...

Joy, it's not that bad! Even the best design won't have your Canadian garden looking like Florida in February. But examining it with the help of some fresh, trained eyes will surely help you to make it even better.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

bloominrs girl ! My goodness thank you so much : ) It has taken a lot of trail and error to come up with plantings that I like myself (too fussy and change things out all the time .. then it was too much work so I tried to really see it in my mind's eye? LOL)
Long winters make you THINK a lot too .. some times too much but that is what cabin fever is about ?

Rose girl .. you would laugh at all the things that have gone on here but yes : ) my gardener side is jumping up and down ? LOL Time is moving and ideas are hitting the paper : ) we will all be in fast forward soon girl !

VW girl ! I couldn't take a Florida type look at all .. ugh ! but .. having said that I do need some sort of "LOOK" it is a mish mash right now so getting it all connected and flowing is what I am looking for .. a unified theme of sorts ? so even when winter hits it will be smooth sleeping ? ;-)

Patsi said...

Winter can be gloomy.
I just want to see our lawn !
Snow won't melt.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Patsi girl ! Keep hanging in .. I am too ! We both know this has to end some time and I KNOW it will for you before it will for me so keep the positive energy stoked .. Spring is coming : )