New Flagstone Entrance

This is the "street entry" to our garden on Fairfield Street in early June. Note the nice stone entry to the gravel pathway that leads onto the lawn.

Euphorbia wulfenii peeks out behind the lacy Elderberry for a great color contrast!

LAWN REPLACED WITH DROUGHT RESISTANT PLANTINGS

This is a great example of what a colorful garden can look like! All plant material is drought tolerant, meaning that after the first year of establishment, this garden will need no extra water to get it through the summer!

BONNIE'S PLACE

The blank canvas....what can we do??? Could we shape the lawn a bit? Could we make room for more....PLANTS???!!??

BONNIE'S PLACE

A rather small area to do some serious outdoor living on. Hmmmm....how could we have room for entertaining AND a ping pong table???

Let's be creative......

BONNIE'S PLACE

This is in the beginning. Uncomfortable slope to walk on (and a bit soggy in the rainy months). Nice maple, but too close to fence.

Plain Jane. Not for long......

BONNIE'S PLACE

B & L Construction in Hillsboro, Oregon pouring the new exposed aggregate patio. Essentially we added on to the small patio already there. Once this step is complete, Mitika of Creative Fence and Deck will build a beautiful mahogany pergola overhead with a Lexan top! Bring on the ping pong guru (and bring on the rain...we got cha covered!)!

Nice job, guys!!

BONNIE'S PLACE

Korey Winchell of Second Nature Landscape, Inc. (no we are not the same company, but have the same great taste in company names!!) and crew took the design that Bonnie and I created and whipped it into shape! From stonework to plantings, they made the plan come to life!!
A view from the large basalt step. This side of the property, on the other side of the covered patio, will visually pull you through, and soon there will be a new lawn and a corner bench to sit on once you get there! Bronze Lexan tops off the beautiful wood pergola, giving the garden a more intimate feel. Thanks Creative Fence and Deck for the great craftsmanship!! And you fit us in just into your busy schedule. The conifer and the Japanese Maple were relocated.

Nice!!

BONNIE'S PLACE

Horacio installing drip irrigation in the new retaining wall. Plants with all season interest are going in!!

BONNIE'S PLACE

This shows the gravel pathway that is easy access leading to a large basalt stone step taking you to the new covered patio. The choice of stone coordinates well with the existing basalt retaining wall in the back ground. A welcoming entrance to a great back yard!! Summer, here we come!

DRY GARDEN COLORS

WOW! Euphorbia 'Portugese Velvet" looks awesome next to this dark purple sedum in my dry garden! Who says dry is boring and lifeless??

Have you heard that or weather is changing? We just went up a notch on the USDA Zone Chart... meaning our environment is getting a bit warmer. Water-wise planting is getting more and more popular these days, and I tell you, I am constantly impressed with the type of plants that will do great with little to no water (well, after they get established that is!). Want to learn more about these kinds of gardens? Just let me know, OK?

"VISUAL EYE CANDY" IN MY GARDEN AT HOME

I call this Rustic Tones.

The Euphorbia blooms are on the way out, but they bridge between the strappy burgundy New Zealand Flax and the coral blooms of the Cape Fuscia. That is Euphorbia wulfenii peeking around the edge, with it's lovely blue evergreen foliage!

And ya know, I NEVER have to weed this bed, it is

full and weeds can't find a place to grow! Woohoo! More time for planting instead of weeding...my kind of garden!!

What a great bed to welcome folks to my home??

Come on in friends!!

TINA'S GARDEN - DAY THREE

Hey, the new patio set is assembled, the firebowl is in place! We chose this great firebowl because it has a lid that when in place makes a little casual eating table for guests. Or, of course, it can be used for nice fires on summer nights!

We have chosen warm, earthy colors for our Balinese theme....reds, oranges and yellows. Wait until you see the large planted pots in the background completed.....wow!!

TINA'S GARDEN - DAY TWO

The framework for the Bamboo structure is up, but not yet complete! This structure will hold strings of white lights, and is built so that she can hang Asian-style lanterns in the corner if desired! To help create the feel of privacy and intimacy, this structure is key!

TINA'S GARDEN, DAY ONE

Here is Day One of the creation of Tina's Garden, located in the Forest Heights area of Portland, Oregon.

Her backyard was a little overgrown and really had no personality. But, it had a good foundation for becoming a great place for relaxing and an intimate entertaining spot for friends!

We removed a few pavers in the corner creating a planting bed that integrates plant material with the hardscaped living area. A Bamboo structure will frame the area, and provide a place to hang strings of lights for night entertaining!

NICE SHADE GARDEN COMBINATION

Wow! Isn't this a great plant combination? Aside from the complimentry color of the foliage, the texture contrast is so cool. The fine Fern fronds really accentuate the large round foliage of the Hosta! Makes them POP!

Makes you just want to stare at it. And not get any work done. Just stare at it....you are getting sleepy.....very sleepy.....! Gardens are relaxing, ya know!

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNING IN THE 'BURBS

Yep....I was up on my roof this morning, enjoying the sunrise view with coffee in hand.....this is what I saw!

We revamped this front yard a few years ago. Originally, this yard was a little ho-hum. No shaped lawn, no cool plantings, really no dimension. Just a lot of daylilies and hybrid tea roses. In the Winter time it was pretty barren. The stone bench to the left is a great place to go to read the paper, sip some coffee....wait...I can't do that...it's Monday!!

The colors in my front yard are fantastic this time of year from both flowers and foliage. I can help you have beautiful mornings in the garden if you want.....just give me a call and I can help you with a design!

It's gonna be in the 80's today...I had better getout and adjust my drip irrigation system. Have a great day!

Pathway in Progress

Here we are in progress. The digging down of the pathway creates beds on either side. Soil amendments will be added to make a great base for all the COOL plants that we will be adding later. Landscape fabric is layed beneath the gravel for more weed control. YEAH! Who says having a nice, easy garden space was tough??

SEISE GARDEN - Tigard, Oregon

See what you can do with a small yard area? A beautiful pink Satomi Dogwood tree anchors the orner bed, along with other Woodland plants surrounding the stone lined pathway. The paver pad area is for her BBQ, allowing maximum patio useage for guests and seating.