Sunday, June 28, 2015

Labyrinth

Have you ever had an area in your garden that you just don't like and you can never think of what to do with it?  I had one of those spots. It was actually the front garden. You see I don't like to be out in my front garden so I haven't done much to it over the years. We live by a road that has a lot of traffic and it is full sun. I am very sensitive to sun so I can't be out in it much. So this part of the garden has languished these 20 years I have lived here.

Oh yes, the area around the driveway and to the East of the drive I have tried to plant a barrier between the garden and the traffic.

 On the West side of the lot I have done not much of anything.There is this big patch of zoysia grass.  I have nothing against zoysia grass. Actually I like zoysia. I hear you all gasping. First of all it makes a thick carpet wonderful to walk on barefooted. Secondly I sort of like the way it goes to sleep during the cold months and turns that straw color. It is always exciting when the weather begins to warm the zoysia begins to come alive as if by magic it becomes a lovely green carpet for spring to enter. Yet to look at a sea of zoysia is quite a bore, so boring I don't have a photo of the carpet of zoysia before implementing my idea to make it interesting and to create something I have often coveted.

What could that be you ask...a walking labyrinth. I have always admired these low lying sculptures in the garden. Every time I would come upon one I wondered where in my small garden I could put one. The labyrinths you see in public gardens are always so large. I couldn't see it in my garden until last fall.  I saw this photo of a labyrinth. I am sorry I can't give it the proper acknowledgement since I have had this photo since last year sometime and have forgotten where I found it. It is a public garden someplace in the US. EDIT: You can see the story here about my inspiration. Thank you Jean for reminding me where I saw this.
Of course to get to this point  you need a gardening crew. While I can see things in a picture and in my brain it doesn't always come out on paper or on in this case on the lawn like I want it. I had to enlist my Dearly Beloved aka Garden Crew to advance my idea.
After drawing on paper, measuring, mulling it over in my brain and not seeing it on the lawn my Dearly Beloved took all the left over paint on our shelves and drew me a picture on the lawn. 
Then I went to work. I discovered that pushing a mower through the zoysia is a little more difficult than it looked. 
This is how it looked last fall. I actually did it too late in the season to get the grass into shape as it had basically stopped growing. Just the painted lines in the lawn made quite a stir in the neighborhood. Neighbors stopped to ask what in the world was going on. 
This spring we went at it again. We mowed down to a clean slate. I couldn't quite make it turn out like I wanted. I was about to give up when one day I came home from work and the Garden Crew had been at it. What a difference it made. I have to thank my Dearly Beloved. He is always my rock, my help mate, better than any garden crew I could hire.
Here are a  couple of pictures as it is now. 

It has come along quite nice. All I need is a totem or small bench at the center. 
All the comments and questions have been interesting. People we don't know have stopped to ask what... why... do you believe in crop circles...? To me a labyrinth is a tool to get to the center and finding self or questions answered if you take enough time. I guess if and when they see me walking in the gloom of dawn or dusk I will forever be known as the crazy old lady walking in circles and I will be at peace in a sea of zoysia.

Monday, June 15, 2015

GBBD June 2015 Maybe I should say time of the lilies.

I always like June bloom day. I know I am going to surely have some blooms to share. This year it is no different. If we walk out into the garden from the patio you pass by the Jackamannii clematis and the Oakleaf hydrangea.
When you slow down to take a look at them you may notice the that the tiny hostas are blooming here and there in the fairy gardens. 
I can't remember the names of these little darlings. 
You can see that their blooms are as diverse as the foliage selection.
Just like the big ones. 
Lily season is definitely on the run.
From the small daylilies, 


to the larger day lilies.
I just noticed in these photos that I have a lot of yellow going on with my day lilies. The one below mixes well with the spiderwort. 
I am unfortunate enough to have several day lilies that have reverted to the common ditch lily.Have you had a problem with this?  They do add a different color to the garden. 
Several of the tall garden lilies are blooming too. 

No I didn't look up their names. You can just enjoy their vibe.
Jack is not the only clematis that is blooming now. At the top of the Coral Bark Maple is a couple of big Ramona blooms. 
We also have a light blue clematis that just won't go up the arbor it is planted by but it does ramble through the hydrangea nearby and is quite happy with itself. 

Speaking of hydrangeas, this Annabelle is beginning to bloom up a storm.If you look past her you can see the butterfly weeds blooming and there are some Great Coneflower about to fully open.

Of course June is when the Queen likes to begin to wave her frothy blooms. 
Gosh, all the walking about the garden is making me hungry. We will soon have some zucchini and 
cucumbers to help with this.
I hope you all are having a bloomin good June. Do join everyone at Carol's May Dreams Gardens to share with everyone a peek at your blossoms.




New Blogger, Old Blogger

     All I can say it is difficult to deal with change. This new Blogger format is not as user friendly in my opinion. I guess I will get us...