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Post by mich64 on May 26, 2011 19:57:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2011 20:31:09 GMT
That is really lovely, Mich! You have mentioned and shown, here and in the past, that your property is on a pretty big incline.
I was wondering if you ever have erosion problems during a downpour. Or is your ground cover infallible?
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Post by bixaorellana on May 26, 2011 22:54:37 GMT
What a treat, Mich! The hostas are out of this world, and backed up to that wooded area appear even more beautiful.
What are the other things started there by the iris and daylilies, please? Also, that garden area appears to go almost down to the lake. Is that right? The second pic you show, with the >>red<< & yellow flowers against the water background is too beautiful. I really love the color you all have painted your deck.
How much of that has come back from previous years and how much do you have to replant every Spring?
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Post by mich64 on May 26, 2011 23:53:40 GMT
Thank you Kerouac and Bixa!
To answer Kerouac, drainage has been a learning process through the years. The home did not have any eavestroughs or downspouts for the rain to be directed away from the house so we had a lot of water around the house after heavy rains, but have since installed a proper system so this has been resolved.
I will take a picture of our driveway up top of the property to show you that decline, we have since added a drain at the bottom of the driveway that diverts water to a creek between us and the neighbours. We have created pathways for water to go all the way down the property through the years.
Bixa, yes there are day lillies, irises, peonies, flox, christmas flowers, primrose, daisies, cornflowers, delphinias, bleeding hearts, pansies all to flower in the coming weeks and month.
In the boxes are the annuals, petunias and different types of daisies this year. Other years I have done begonias, impatienens, etc. We chose the green for the decking to blend in with the surroundings. The gardens are on the bottom half of the property and yes right down to the lake. The house is in the middle, then 57 stairs up to the bottom of the driveway where I have planted perennial ground cover and some bushes such as wild rose and holly bushes.
Cheers,
Mich
I hope to take pictures about a month from now when some of these plants begin to flower.
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Post by mich64 on May 27, 2011 0:01:44 GMT
Here is a small hill on the property, and you may see at the very end, a garden on the hillside with more perennials.  Cheers, Mich |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on May 27, 2011 20:21:30 GMT
WOW! really beautiful Mich...I love the hostas...and is that creeping thyme in the first pic? smashing... ;D
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Post by mich64 on May 27, 2011 22:06:03 GMT
Thank you Cheery! You are correct, creeping thyme it is.
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by bixaorellana on May 27, 2011 23:18:51 GMT
The grass-clad slope with the trees and their new leaves is the perfect depiction of Spring. That hill must be a laugh-a-minute to mow, though.  |
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2011 12:48:04 GMT
Just beautiful. I can just imagine peaceful summer days sitting outside watching butterflies fluttering past.  |
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Post by rikita on May 30, 2011 13:52:44 GMT
very nice... beautiful garden!
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Post by mich64 on May 30, 2011 14:15:45 GMT
Thanks Deyana and Rikita! Yes, I love the butterflies but more so the hummingbirds that seem suspended in air feeding off the flowers in the boxes hanging off the deck.
Yes Bixa, my husband has made it easier by having two lawnmowers, one for the top of the property up by the garage where there is also a big lawn but flat, and one for the lower half to the lake. He has quite a system of getting the hills done, he goes down them halfway and then comes down the hill and pushes upwards. He also now splits the days he mows. Top half one day and bottom another or it would take him all day.
Maintenance on a property this size is time consuming and the older we are getting more difficult on the knees and shoulders. If we decide to stay past the next 10 years we will have to hire a service to do the lawns and shovel/plow the snow in winter. We cannot imagine moving back to the city, but eventually we will have to.
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by mickthecactus on May 31, 2011 12:38:07 GMT
Excellent photos Mich! Love the Gerbera. Why aren't your Hostas slug and snail bait like mine...
(nice Echeverias too....)
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Post by mich64 on May 31, 2011 15:41:24 GMT
Thank you so very much Mick. I bought the Echevarias in respect to you and Bixa as you both have inspired me to expand my garden to include succulents and cacti. The Gerbera are a couple of years old now.
Because we are on a hillside the gardens can become quite dry, therefore, no slugs. If we are have a very damp summer I will have slugs and the horrible earwigs that is when you put out a shallow bowl or plate with soap and water to attract them there instead of your plants.
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2011 11:48:19 GMT
mich, I'm much the same as you, a country girl at heart. I was born on a farm and have somehow or other always veered towards the country life. I don't like the idea of having to move to the city one day either, have you ever thought of getting an apartment in the city and still keeping your country home? It's something I would really like to do...
Right now my sons and boyfriend do much of the yard work for me, I do some, but not that much really. Hiring someone to do it in the future sounds like a plan...
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Post by mich64 on Jun 1, 2011 14:11:37 GMT
Deyana when we bought this house it was from owners who had done that for years. They had a house in the city and this one for summer use. It was in poor shape when we bought it (that is the only reason why we could afford it) and after 13 years we have finally just about finished the renovations and gotten the gardens and lawns back. We hope to enjoy it now for the next 10 or so years and then see if we can hire services to do the difficult work. But when we move back to the city we hope to have an apartment near the lake with a good view of it.
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2011 15:33:29 GMT
That sounds like a good plan, mich. Living by the water is just ideal.
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Post by mich64 on Jun 1, 2011 16:30:53 GMT
Our small city is in between two beautiful but different lakes, one deep and cool and the other shallow, sandy and warm.
On one side of town, in the summer you feel that you are away at a resort beach with manicured sandy beaches, with tourist attractions like carousels, mini trains, marinas and restaurants.
The other side of town you are feel like you are in the deep woods of Canada where you picture canoes portaging, small camp grounds along with cabins and homes along the shores of the lake.
I cannot imagine not living next to water and being able to wake up each morning to the sun rising over it and hearing the loons when I go to bed at night.
We have lived on both sides, I love living here. But hopefully, we will be able to spend our winters in either Europe or the UK when retirement time comes.
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2011 17:47:57 GMT
It sounds wonderful, mich. Canada is just full of natural beauty, one of things I most like about it. I just never get enough of exploring this country and there is so much still to discover.
And if you can get away to warmer climates during the winter months, it's just ideal. I'd like to spend the winters in India or other parts of Europe one day, or maybe even Mexico or South America ... But at the moment I have a real yearning to travel across Mexico and south America, all the way to Chile. It would be an amazing trip. It's just finding the time, as it would take a few months to do it properly. Maybe it's just a case of 'biting the bullet' for me I think. It won't be for a couple of years yet though, gives me time to prepare!
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Post by tod2 on Jun 2, 2011 14:12:03 GMT
Mich, your Spring garden is superb! So is the photography BTW! Thanks so much for showing us around. I look forward to more one of these days...
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Post by mich64 on Jun 2, 2011 14:44:26 GMT
Thank you Tod!! I will be updating them soon when plants begin to flower.
Cheers!
Mich
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Post by mich64 on Jun 11, 2012 15:36:55 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 11, 2012 17:33:51 GMT
Gorgeous woodland garden, Mich! The rocks look super in that setting.
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Post by mich64 on Jun 11, 2012 18:12:18 GMT
We wanted a low maintenance solution. Now we have completed removing all the wood retaining walls that were here when we purchased the property.
In the first picture, the rocks that are built into the hill forming a small garden with the three new hostas, they are the rocks we removed from our fireplace in the house! They have some nice crystals and coloring through them in greys and pinks. Recycle!
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 11, 2012 19:32:52 GMT
ooooh love your dicentra Mitch...the garden looks glorious. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2012 19:43:18 GMT
Wonderful update, Mich. However, I was wondering with the steep slopes that you have if erosion is ever a problem during heavy rain.
Also, I really understand how anybody who lives in a "winter country" must really appreciate the joy of a flourishing garden.
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Post by lugg on Jun 11, 2012 19:47:08 GMT
Beautiful Mich - really enjoyed seeing your garden , it is so natural and in keeping with the stunning setting. I read in one of your posts that you are considering wintering in the UK ?  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2012 19:50:14 GMT
Lugg -- it is so much warmer in the UK in winter than where Mich is living!
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Post by mich64 on Jun 11, 2012 21:15:18 GMT
You are absolutely correct Kerouac, after our winter, we are so relieved to see something other than white! Erosion has been a problem and it has taken experiences to teach us the power of the flow of water. We have created pathways for the water to divert to even to the extent of placing drains and pipes underground to help with the winter melt and the summer rainstorms. Keeping vegetation on the steep parts of the hill keeps the ground firm. Lugg here are a few winter photos.    Today it was 30C and in January/February it is typically -30C. We do have four distinct seasons, I enjoy 3 of them and about 1 week of the 4th.  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 16, 2012 1:14:48 GMT
That last picture is ethereally beautiful ........... and I'm so glad I'm only seeing it as a picture!
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Post by mich64 on Jun 16, 2012 3:07:29 GMT
Thank you! Have you ever experienced a snowy winter Bixa?
And to think under all that snow, resting, are my perennial gardens and that these conditions do not kill my precious plants.
We cover them with the fallen leaves,
Like laying a blanket over a sleeping baby,
We uncover them gently in the spring,
Hoping to see the new, sprouting through.
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