I've slowly been working on the kids' garden, getting it cleaned up, planting a few annuals, just bringing it to some kind of point A so that I can move it towards more what Paige actually wants it to look like. Their neighbor Paul, a chatty but very helpful man, was going to loan me his wheelbarrow so that I could walk up the hill and gather some rocks to make a border for the front garden. Sweet man that he is, he went and gathered some for me, and left them between the houses, saying it would get me rolling and he (or we together) could gather more as time permitted. The front isn't done yet, and there are two other very small side gardens and I very small circular one in the middle of the front lawn that I also want to border with rocks, but I think the effect is a nice one, don't you? Also that bush on the far LH side of both pictures is, I think, the ugliest bush I've ever seen! It's sparse even at its best, and this one, and another on the other side of the house, are NOT in good shape. Other homes in the neighborhood have them, so I've seen them at their healthiest, and they're STILL ugly. I'm going to be ripping them out and replacing them with............well, I don't know what, yet. Any suggestions? It's essentially a full sun garden. Shaded in the early morning, but by mid-morning the sun's hitting the area, and it stays in sun till evening.
That rock border just "makes" that bed Ronni! Very nice. Will you also be replacing those bricks with rocks? There are no rocks here and they aren't cheap to buy. What I couldn't give to be able to just go for a walk and get a wheelbarrow full.
I like rocks in a garden and those ones look the part Ronni. So much nicer than bricks as they give a natural look to the front of the bed.
I love rock borders, that is sooo pretty. Do you know what the scrawny shrub is? It does look out of place in that bed.
Yes! Absolutely. They looked OK when there was no other border, but even then they were only temporary....I didn't have enough bricks to do the garden by the house, so I circled the tree with what I did have. Now that the more natural looking stones are in place, there's no way those bricks are staying! It's really handy, I must say. This is a new subdivision they're in, so there are areas still undeveloped. The downside, when I'm actually working in the garden, is that just under the layer of mulch and then the layer of clay (ugh!) is a lot of rock. The upside is that same rock is littering all the lots that haven't been built on yet. One such is up the hill from where they live. It's a veritable goldmine!!! ........ or, I guess, rockmine!
Toni, I have no clue. I don't recall ever seeing one like that before. I'll take a closer pic and see if you guys can help identify it. Some of the same shrubs in the neighborhood look a bit better than this one.....I'm thinking it does better in more shade maybe? Paige's garden is definitely full sun. Or maybe they amended the soil, or fertilized or something. Regardless, even when it looks healthier, it's still ugly. So it's going, to be replaced with what I don't know yet.
Ronny, Nice to see you again. That border looks great. As you know I love them. I have a million gardens with rock borders and way more than a million rocks.....
Ahhh Im jealous you have rocks so close! I have to "steal" rocks from the creekbed at work and Im not even half done with my path Im lining
Thanks all. Paul went and gathered more rocks on Sunday which I discovered early Monday morning as I was heading out the door! I was SO eager to get back home and put them around, which I did last night. The front garden by the house is finally done! There's still the circular little area surrounding the sapling in the middle of the front garden, and two small semi circles on either side of the garage. I'm hoping to be able to make a trek up the hill in the next couple of days, and get smaller rocks for these areas. I'll snap a picture of the finished part shortly, so you can all see the final product. I SO much prefer the look of it bordered with the stones like that. I know some folks don't like borders, and of course to each his own. Thankfully though, Paige and I both feel similarly, that they make the bed look "finished." If she hadn't wanted a border I'd have bit my tongue and not put one down, but happily, I didn't have to do that!
Boy, you just can't hold down a gardener. That'll show'em. Of course, Paige harvests all the benefits. Very nice Ronni.
Rock borders are a great accent and they are so versatile. Some plants look better or more noticeable if accented by rocks. Here in New England we have rocks, lots of rocks, except cape cod, they don't have any rocks. If I need a rock I just dig a hole. Take the rocks out, fill with dirt, water and next year you will have more rocks. Rocks can also snake through a garden bed so that they can be behind flowers. A terraced garden can be built with a rock foundation. Flat rocks can provide stepping stones, allowing you safe movement in the flower bed. A single rock placed vertically can be used as an accent. Rocks can be used as plant ID markers. House numbers can be painted on them and still function as a garden accent. White rocks can be used as guides in twilight hours and will be seen easily with a flashlight. The possibilities are endless. I could mention pet rocks but I won't….oops! Jerry
