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Landscaping
Here are some nice Winter Shots for you -- it's like living in a Park! Incidentally, this is the view from our Sunroom -- now you know why I insisted that we add that on to the House! Now we can't imagine NOT having it, and Dwight firmly believes it was his idea! ha,ha,ha!
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This is the end of our Property looking back towards the House. I was taking Tia (our wee Dog!) out for a walk one morning, and it was like a Winter Wonderland -- Ice Crystals everywhere! Cool light that morning, too -- almost Lilac!
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These gorgeous Deer show up in our Garden almost every night when the weather is mild. I happened to be on the phone in the Sunroom, yesterday evening, and I looked up and a Deer was looking straight at me! There are seven of them in this little Deer Family.
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Just some more shots of the lovely trees around our Estate Area.
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Landscaping
Well, you’re all done your house and now you’re ready to landscape – one of my favourite bits! Evergreens always add a nice touch to every garden. I am toying with the idea of growing one or two types of flowers per Island. The general idea is to design the flower bed with one type of plant in the center and a contrasting plant as a border -- say, Petunias in the center, Allysum as the border. I’ve seen it done but have never been able to stop myself from adding a ton of other flowers to the mix!
One great tip that I recently read about is to put a perimeter rim of landscaping rocks around the house – apparently, it will help to keep rodents from entering the house, something that will be very important if you are building in the country! You can also try planting groups of Daffodils – wee animals don’t like the smell (or taste, I’m guessing!) of the bulbs. One thing I have learned the hard way (the neighbourhood rabbits ate all my Spring bulbs, one year) is to use the ‘bulb baskets’ for planting groups of bulbs.
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When I was at the Garden Center last Sunday (The Saskatoon Farm -- fantastic prices and fabulous plants!), they had a list of plants that Deer don't care for -- so they'll stay out of your garden. Now, I am very fond of the deer, so I like them to come around, but I'll put these plants in around the front and in some of the Islands. Deer seem to stay away from Yellow Plants -- who knows why, but they don't care for yellow! Deer also don't like Lupins, so I'll plant some Lupins, too.
I got this gorgeous Holly Hock (I actually bought 6 of them, and would have
bought a lot more, but the truck was full! Think I'll go back and get some more!
They were only $12.00 each!! Can you believe that?? We got them at The
Saskatoon Farm . The Morning Glories are also from The
Saskatoon Farm -- I put them in the Sunroom, first, but I had a reaction
to them, so now they're out on the Back Deck. I wound the plant through the
Trellis so it can grow along there. Looks fabulous, and this was only $20.00
-- incredible, eh??
Here's the beginning of the Front Gardens. The house is 110' long, so I think
each garden is about 30' X 6'. We'll put a band of Grass along the edge, then
the Paved Driveway
will go beside that.
Have you ever wondered 'How much dirt is in a load?' Perhaps this has
never crossed your mind (!), until you're doing some Landscaping and realize
you're gonna need a whole Load of Dirt! ha,ha! Well, here's a picture of 2 loads,
but each 'pile' is One Load. The pile on the Left is a Full Load. That was enough
to do both of the Gardens at the Front of the House and to fill some of the
Lawn Area. We'll need a whole lot more, because we are on an Acre and a Quarter.
It's a nice size Lot, in that it gives us lots of room to play, and not too
much work to do!
Here's the garden at the Second Stage -- Some plants are in, but we still need to get a bunch of large trees, then fill the whole area with Bark Mulch.
This is the back garden. Dwight built this Retaining Wall to prevent any erosion
into the Back 'Wilderness Garden'.
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Playground
Dwight and I went out and staked out the Playground area for Aidan and Cara's Play Park. Can you see the stakes?? Tia kept getting herself wrapped around them with her rope, so they kept falling down! Ah, the joys of an excited wee dog! I took a picture from two angles so you can see the location of the Park to our house. We have 125 feet to play with at the North side of the house, so that's lots to make a nice park area. This is where the Fire Pit will go, too, I think, then lots of trees, some Park Benches and a Swing Set.
This is 7ml Pea Gravel -- excellent for a Playground. It's clean and 'cushions' any falls from playground equipment.
All the Gravel and Dirt came from Dirt ... Cheep out of Okotoks. Joey has the best prices around!
We just got Aidan and Cara their Swing Set at Wal-Mart. The colors are gorgeous, too -- sage green and a light tan -- who knew you could get a Swing Set to match your house?!
Gardens Alive's complete Pest and Disease Guide
A band of decorative rocks, tile, or Bark Mulch around the Islands in your garden will make it easier to mow the lawn.
Trellis with some nice climbing vines can create a pleasant ‘privacy screen’ between your house and the neighbours, especially if you need the privacy for a Hot Tub or Deck.
Carefully plan your Garden on paper, first, to see where everything will look good. Have a drive around town to see whose Garden you like, take photos, then use that as a jumping off point. You’ll have fun creating your own little paradise!
As for grass, hiring out for the sod is a good idea, since there’s such an enormous amount of work in preparing the ground before you can even begin laying the sod (sounds like something to do with yo’ husband! Ha,ha,ha!). You can also look into ‘spray grass’. This is useful for a very large area that requires a nice coat of grass.
If you’ve never tried the ‘Wild Flower Mix’, it’s the easiest and fastest way to get a gorgeous garden! Worth a try. Remember that if you are adding an irrigation system to the lawn, consult with your Mechanical Contractor at the beginning of the planning stages of the house to see where it should go.
Don't be afraid of Seeds! It's easier and more useful than you might think -- it's always worth a shot to try some new seeds that you like. Seeds are inexpensive and easy to sow -- might as well give them a try. You'll be so excited that you're 'new babies' are growign up, and sooo quickly!
If you've never tried Miracle Grow, it's a great product and really does work. Dwight just picked up a new Sprayer for me that shoots the water 8 feet (that's exciting for gardeners!) with the Miracle Grow, so I'm very happy with that! The Sprayers attach directly to your regular hose. He also had to go and get a 200 foot Hose so we can water the plants and Trees at the South End of the Garden.
Dwight has just agreed to help me create a number of Islands in the South End of the Garden -- it's an area about 100' X 225', so lots of space to play with -- that'll be lots of fun!
He just built the Retaining Wall on the South Side of the Walk-Out, so we'll be ready to create our little 'Wilderness Garden' out there. The plan is to fill the area with a combination of Colored Stone, Bark Mulch, Evergreens, Large Potted Plants and Park Benches. I have three really lovely Park Benches in the Garage, just waiting for Dwight to put them together, so I might not have to buy any more for that area...
Hey, I work on the Computer in my Home Office Downstairs and I can watch T.V. while I'm working. It's great! I can watch all my favorite Daytime Shows (The View, Oprah, Dr. Phil and BalanceTV ...plus any Garden or Building show that happens to come on!), and wouldn't you know it -- Garden Architecture just came on -- man, it's my lucky day! YaaaaHooo! (Yes, I'm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada!)
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Check
out my Overstock.com Page -- tons of great stuff for your Garden!
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<The
Most HOME & GARDENING Magazines. The LOWEST PRICES Online. MAGAZINES.com.>
Here's The Tree Guy's Info!
He's out of High River, Alberta, Canada, and gets them from Edmonton, so if you're anywhere in between, he's the Guy for you!
Spruce Trees (White & Blue...) 4' - 8' in Height, $20. - $50./Tree. What a deal!
Larry Armstrong -- 403-652-5216; Cell: 403-512-4329
October is a good time to Plant Trees -- just remember to 'Freeze Them In'!
( Hey, he was just over, again, and we got another 18 Trees, so now we have to go and get the rest of the 'Beds' done for them! WooHoo! Looks great out there!)
It's a Great Big Site, chock full of all sorts of Fun Stuff and Useful Information... take your time and have a wee look around -- I think you might be surprised by some of the stuff you find!<
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Click Here for Ailsa's Travel Page
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