Yet we have this vision of a backyard haven full of lush plants and twinkling lights where we can sit for hours eating dinner or entertaining friends. We're slowly working toward that vision, though its been harder than we expected. First we made a little garden in the corner. Most of the plants died. Then Todd strung up some lights overhead. That made a big difference. And now we've made the big step of buying some patio stones from Lowe's (you can see a few of them in the last picture) and all we have to do is install them correctly, which might be difficult because we have no idea what we're doing. But we'll get there.
Raised beds will allow you to bypass the roots and will also give it a cozy feeling by putting the foliage higher.
ReplyDelete"Landscaping for Privacy" helped me with planning and working handy street. It dealt with finding privacy in small spaces. With addressing the privacy in a small city garden, it also gave that cozy feel, even with neighbors on either side. Its a "Sunset" type paperback, but I got a lot of inspiration and ideas. Hope this helps. Also, what ever plants didn't make it, more where some of them came from this Spring.
ReplyDeleteCONTAINER GARDENING!!! Become a specialist at container gardening. Start w/2-3 huge pots like Mother has near her archway at the far side of the patio across from the kitchen window. Then add a few medium-large pots. You can move them around wherever you want them. Just be sure to buy the kind that won't break if they freeze. Container gardening allows you to concentrate your fertilizer/water use. Use 'moss milkshake' around the areas where you don't plan to sit pots. The leaves dropping from that big old tree has been preparing the soil for easy moss growth for many years. June
ReplyDeleteI think June and Adrienne have the right idea. What is the tree? Is it shallow rooted or deep rooted? Is it like a maple with all those little feeder roots interfering with anything you dig a hole for and plant? Those feeder roots see all your effort as WOW! no competition with other feeder roots, and they just start making themselves at home in that newly hand-tilled soil and choke what ever you plant in that carefully prepared hole. Something to keep in mind is that monster tree is cutting the electric bill and cooling your days in that intimate Charleston garden. I think its great that you have such a big tree in such a small garden with the purchase of you new home. Might think about lighting in the tree. And bird feeders. A birdbath. I know water is all around you, but having water there brings them in. Might not be flowers, but birds do bring life to the garden. That's what gardening is really all about.
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