I name all of my gardens. The owner of this 3 acre property on Contraband Bayou is into architecture,(and African tribal masks), so The Fountainhead is appropriate. In 2005 my home and gardens were destroyed with Hurricane Rita. This property, despite being on piers, had 3 ft. of floodwater. And again, with Hurricane Ike a few yrs. later. The state tree of Louisiana (Taxodium distichum) Aralia spinosa. The palm showed up as a weed seedling. I told him to get rid of it. I don't do palms. http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j378/theinvisible This front yard at one time was landscaped. After Ike flooded it, I just yanked everything out and told him he was on his own. I ain't messing with floods and mucky nasty soils anymore. This was all under water. Twice. His architect told him to put those yellow shudders up. I don't know about that! The owner contacted me about doing some landscaping, so I spent 2 yrs. playing here. Sweet Bay Magnolia (M. virginiana) See that wind ventilation turbine in the background? The previous owner built an underground bunker: cold war insurance, or protection from "THEM'. This is not bamboo. Not all of these plantings are mine, esp. the bamboo and grasses. I had wanted him to plant a 200 ft. row of Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) along the boat slip. And more of them in the back yard along the bayou. No action yet. This property actually has major problems when it comes to gardening. The owner is sort of, how shall I say, unmotivated, when it comes to basic maintenance. (watering and weeds). Also, the soil around the house is terrible. To begin with, it is muck, and filled in with muck. The wooded areas have tree issues, and many have died or are in the process of. But I came in with some fine hardwoods to take care of that problem. After Rita, many many trees experienced fracturing throughout the trunks, caused by the extreme swaying of the entire tree, causing a slow and delayed death. I lost a beautiful pecan because of this. "Degrees of ability vary, but the basic principle remains the same: the degree of a man's independence, initiative and personal love for his work determine his talent as a worker and his worth as a man." Howard Roark-The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand/1943)
That is just so wonderful. I am envious, a little. It also gives me a little goal and ideas. Thanks for sharing. Barb in Pa.
