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Wednesday 7 July 2010

Got GAS ?

Yes ... I had to be silly and use that line .. or is that a question ? .. to hook you into peeking at my post .. peeking is perfectly fine .. you don't even have to comment .. I promise .. I won't hunt you down, even though I can ? hehehe
I think I was leaning a little to the left when I took this picture .. or maybe it was the right .. no .. I was not drinking it was mid morning .. I wait till after noon ? wink wink
This is my almost famous shared space that my sweet neighbor lets me have free hand with .. and boy .. have my hands been free .. I keep trying different things out that a plant is in, and out so fast, it doesn't even remember what the heck happened to it ..
One of the major eye sores are the gas meters .. I know we have to have them .. the utility company doesn't let us ride free even for one second .. we won't go there ..
So just how do you cover up an eye sore like that yet allow space for the meter person (unisex just in case) to read the meter ?
I chose grasses .. they take longer to come up and look right but they are free spirits and I can get away with them ... so far ..
Not too bad eh ?

So .. mostly shady .. and the latest change has been moving out the ever popular ostrich fern which can hide a lot of sins to something a little more interesting .. a division of my August Moon hosta .. my first love of hosta .. you can see small Halcyon hosta as well .. that gold blue combo I like .. along with astilbe and my BFF heuchera !! you gotta' love those little darlings right ?
Isn't she gorgeous ? I guess I could have said "isn't HE handsome" ? .. but I like to name or sex most plants as she .. because we are such a soft and yielding type creatures .. yeah ... right !!? Husband could say a lot on that subject .. but he rarely reads my blog so I can say THAT and get away with it .. fo now !
See neat stepping stones I put down for meter-person to STEP on instead of my plants ??
I can't remember if this is Lime Ricky or Key Lime Pie .. if anyone can ID this ruffled lime beauty please feel free ?
Gypsy Dancer was moved from the front garden due to being smothered by growing hosta .. poor thing was gasping one day and I went beet red thinking how could I do that to a plant ?
Now for something connectable to other gardeners .. Linda from Meadowview Thymes was saying how she just recently lost a tag to a new ornamental grass she put in her garden , well guess what Linda .. I went to look for this tag and nope ! can't find it .. I know it is a fountain grass and I know it will dawn on me some time .. soon ? I hope .. or I will find the tag in the garden .. or in the house .. or in this universe some day ? BIG sigh !
Group HUG time ???
Now for a role reversal .. this is "Forever and Ever" hydrangea .. I know it is because who could forget that name ??? yes ... I may not have the actual tag ... BUT .. I know what this is ... really !
So .. Millar our famous stone layer xtrordinair ? is keeping me in mind as he is working very hard on other peoples gardens etc .. for a BIG man made stone to finally set my garden gate/arbor STRAIGHT one day .. the actual weight of 4 vines is pulling it to one side .. so even though it may look straight some days .. it isn't quite there .. this could be a whole book of jokes for me but I am so tired from the heat and watering the garden .. I just have to let it go this time .. go figure .. me passing up that ??
I took this shot because it was like a "secret garden" view for me (Sorry Tatyana of My Secret Garden .. I just had to borrow it ? LOL) .. yes .. I am just one BIG kid !

Cool and refreshing right ? can ya' see my HUGE Sumac looking back at you ???? hehehe

19 comments:

Barry said...

Joy:
I love what you are doing with this area. Its tough finding the right combo. I had to snigger when I read about the gas meter dilemma. Imagine what its like when there is a meter that isn't attached to anything that 'they' will not remove come hell nor high water. I think I finally went with Polygonatum biflorum this year. Tried Clematis 'Mrs. Robert Brydon', but WTF, she wanted to take over the entire Shaded Walk. Its looking fabUlous.... keep it up!

Linda said...

Ah-h-h those elusive garden tags ... there must be a goblin around that takes them. I'm trying a new method of marking my plants this summer, now all I need to do is document it with my camera so I can post about it. I'm ready to have this heatwave go away so I can spend more than a few minutes at a time in the garden. Your secret garden looks wonderful. The Secret Garden was always my favoutie book to read as a little girl.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Ilove what you did with that passageway between the two homes.

Eileen

VW said...

Oh, that area is SO pretty! And the vine over the gate is gorgeous. Your neighbor is lucky to have your talents next door. I love the foliage combos you have going on.

Pat said...

I'd love to have you as a neighbor.
Nice job Joy....the grass works perfectly and easy for the meter reader to move out of the way.
Have to admit you have the best shade plant beds...I'll be stealing from you of course. :)

Sylvia (England) said...

I read all your posts and enjoy them, thank you, but I don't comment as often as I would like! I have enjoyed reading about this lovely little garden, it is an inspired use of a little space. It amuses me that shady borders are all ways considered difficult in the media but I find sunny borders more difficult. This may be because I love shade loving plants and woodlands. I must get myself Lime Ricky or Key Lime Pie - both if I can find them!

Best wishes Sylvia (England)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Dear Dear Barry .. Thanks sweetie : )
It has just dawned on me that I think I forgot something .. I'm coming over there to chat with you ! Now that sounds like a typical utility company on that stance .. meter going no where ;-(
You can't go wrong with a Solomon's Seal .. I love my variegated one to bits !

Hello there Linda ! Thank you : )
I'm usually so good with my tags .. I even wipe them down and write in my journal .. and have an actual box for said tags .. but lately .. utter chaos !!
Yes ... there is something so special about a secret garden .. book or in true garden format ? LOL

Hello there Eileen and thank you very much .. it has been fun and a great testing ground to see what plants will work there : )

VW girl hello there and thank you : ) The vines have taken a while to plump up and I'm afraid they will have to be cut back drastically to be able to hike up the arbor to lay the stone and drill it in .. but it has to be done and it will look good again ... eventually ? LOL

Patsi girl thank you and you can steal away all you want ! I don't mind a bit ! wink wink .. that is what I thought too .. grasses can't be frowned on that much right ? haha .. Isn't TB becoming utterly weird ? LOL .. I miss Nurse Jackie ;-( haha

Hello there Sylvia and thank you so much ! I too do the same thing when I am limited for time .. read and not post a comment and I feel guilty .. but .. when winter comes I go backwards and dig in to more detailed reading and commenting .. we have a lot of time on our hands then ? LOL
YES ! I think that too about shade gardens .. and I have a heck of a time considering plants for full sun .. I never seem to get it right the first time ? haha I am a heuchera gal for sure .. great emergency plant on the run : )

Rose said...

Joy, I remember when you first started planting this area--what a great job you have done! The grasses and the stepping stones are perfect touches--no excuse for the meter person to step on anything in your garden:) With your arbor gate, I would definitely call this your "Secret Garden," too.

Tags are becoming hopeless for me; Miss Sophie likes to pull some of them up and leave them in another place, so now I am totally confused as to what is what. I have Purple Palace and Plum Pudding heucheras, and I don't remember which is which!

Meadowview Thymes said...

I am still giggling over the title of your post--but sure love that side garden! I so hate to lose a plant tag (and thanks for mentioning my blog!):) My mind just cannot remember all those names, and especially when I hop from store to store buying things. How nice of your neighbor to share garden space with you. It's really like you all have your own secret garden!

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

You have done a wonderful job landscaping your neighbors spot(-: It all ties together perfectly! No one would even know it was not yours(-:
Now does your fountain grass come back each year? I never can get mine to come back.)-: Dead as a mackerel as they say. I have some feather grass that comes back every year though. And I did have my Japanese grasses come back even though they were yanked up by the roots and thown into pots last fall! I repotted them in the tree planters and they are doing much better(-:
I guess its to hot here for Hostas. I have tried and tried but they have died each time. Yours are soooooooooo pretty and I wish so bad I could grow them here.
Well I must be getting to work on my garage cleaning project(-: TTYL

Tracy said...

Great space! It does like a secret little entrance to your yard. I love that last picture taken through the gate. Everything looks so good. Heuchera's are one of my favorites - the lime one is beautiful. I need to get me some of those!

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Wow Joy, what a fantastic space!!! I don't think I've seen it before, I just love it!! SO great that your neighbour has allowed you to have both sides. I'm going to have to revisit this post and steal some of your ideas...

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Rose girl can you believe I waited so long to dig into this area ? LOL
Once I started it just kept going and now I keep swapping plants in and out when I have a new idea yet again ? Tags .. I have specific boxes designated to each year but there are always loose cannons shooting around some where that I can NOT find them .. and that is too funny about your Sophie ! LOL
I think she thinks she is helping you ? wink wink

Linda I think a lot of us are in the same boat .. we have such good intentions to hold on to this information then bang ! it all goes down hill .. I am in trouble with some of the hellebore I have planted .. I had garden markers for some and the ink ran in the rain .. now I have to wait for them to bloom next year .. well Ivory Prince and my original Orientalis I know .. but .. hum ?
Yup . I thought the title might grab a little attention ? LOL
You are very welcome girl .. glad I am not the only one ? ;-)

Hey Cindee girl thank you !
This is a new fountain grass for me but yes .. I have Hameln "alopecuriodes" which is the same type this new one is .. I lost Karly last year but that was because of the fiasco with the deck building etc .. but I did lose "Little Bunny" which ticked me .. other wise all the other grasses come back Karl never lets me down ! LOL
Red Baron ? Japanese grass ? they look awesome !! I keep meaning to get on myself : ) I was not a big hosta fan in the beginning but they have grown on me ? .. and yes , I bet it is too hot for them there, too bad ;-( ..
Hey ! take it easy with your projects girl .. you are just getting better from that bug remember ? !

Hello Tracy and thank you : )
I always yearned for a truly secret garden hidden away from the rest of the world .. so I try very hard to impersonate ? LOL one ?
I am a big heuchera fan and keep collecting them .. there are so many gorgeous ones aren't there ?!

Hello Rebecca girl : )
This took a while to get down and dirty with ? LOL .. and I am still experimenting with it .. one side is very much Day Lily Alley because they are so tough and beautiful .. I did sneak Green Panda bamboo in though .. and YES ! I am very lucky Connie my neighbour gave me a free hand to do this with : )

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Rose girl can you believe I waited so long to dig into this area ? LOL
Once I started it just kept going and now I keep swapping plants in and out when I have a new idea yet again ? Tags .. I have specific boxes designated to each year but there are always loose cannons shooting around some where that I can NOT find them .. and that is too funny about your Sophie ! LOL
I think she thinks she is helping you ? wink wink

Linda I think a lot of us are in the same boat .. we have such good intentions to hold on to this information then bang ! it all goes down hill .. I am in trouble with some of the hellebore I have planted .. I had garden markers for some and the ink ran in the rain .. now I have to wait for them to bloom next year .. well Ivory Prince and my original Orientalis I know .. but .. hum ?
Yup . I thought the title might grab a little attention ? LOL
You are very welcome girl .. glad I am not the only one ? ;-)

Hey Cindee girl thank you !
This is a new fountain grass for me but yes .. I have Hameln "alopecuriodes" which is the same type this new one is .. I lost Karly last year but that was because of the fiasco with the deck building etc .. but I did lose "Little Bunny" which ticked me .. other wise all the other grasses come back Karl never lets me down ! LOL
Red Baron ? Japanese grass ? they look awesome !! I keep meaning to get on myself : ) I was not a big hosta fan in the beginning but they have grown on me ? .. and yes , I bet it is too hot for them there, too bad ;-( ..
Hey ! take it easy with your projects girl .. you are just getting better from that bug remember ? !

Hello Tracy and thank you : )
I always yearned for a truly secret garden hidden away from the rest of the world .. so I try very hard to impersonate ? LOL one ?
I am a big heuchera fan and keep collecting them .. there are so many gorgeous ones aren't there ?!

Hello Rebecca girl : )
This took a while to get down and dirty with ? LOL .. and I am still experimenting with it .. one side is very much Day Lily Alley because they are so tough and beautiful .. I did sneak Green Panda bamboo in though .. and YES ! I am very lucky Connie my neighbour gave me a free hand to do this with : )

Anonymous said...

The grass was just right for the gas. You could have said got grass?, too.

If that was all the garden you had, it would be prize.
It is lovely, and refreshing.

Do you have one of those garden books that you are supposed to use to write in the names, dates, and position of each plant? I do, but it is almost empty. Sometimes, I remember to stick the tags in it, or seed packets, if I start the plants, but not often.

*~* Linda *~* said...

I just loooove that last picture!! Very "secret gardenish!" I can't wait to tip toe through there soon!I hope your plants aren't shy ;) cause of course I'm bringing my camera!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Sandy girl thank you !
This intense heat and humidity is really stressing the garden let alone me ? haha
The road to hell is laid with the best intentions ? or something like that ? I always mean to be so careful and detail about my garden acquisitions .. I have a box for the tags ..and a book to write about where I put them .. go figure I totally missed the boat with most of it ? haha

Linda I so hope the garden is worth seeing by the time you get here .. it is going to be so stressed from this horrible heat .. a lot of the blooms will have been done for this time period .. cone flowers should be good still though .. I hope ?
I think we had "Fat Bastard" raccoon here last night on the deck .. the pond has been rummaged through .. I don
t know if Bert and Ernie are still with us .. DAMN !!!!

Anonymous said...

I love this shared space and the gate with the peek a boo view gives it that extra special touch. Grasses are good way to hide the ugly gas meters, I have a/c units I have to disguise, yuck. The new header is really cool, never grown that particular plant, might have to give it a try. Thanks alot Joy, lol. Just kidding! ;)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Racquel I also have an AC unit to hide and I do it with Xmas tree shaped Yews .. they do a good job as long as I remember to "shape" them every year .. This Miss Willmott's ghost sea holly too two years to flower like this but it was worth the wait .. it truly looks like a Halloween flower .. right ?? LOL