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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Lazy Way to Garden


I must have mentioned  somewhere that I have two distinct gardens. This is my upper garden, in the front yard, an expansive area with mature trees and woodland atmosphere.  There are pines, oaks, magnolias, camellias,  rodies, azaleas, geraniums and numerous bushes, herbs and ornamentals.  There are sunny places, like this one, where hubby and I can sit side by side, or face to face, and soak in the sun whenever it chooses to grace our spaces.


Most of what grows here is native, or so entrenched that it does not need me to interfere much.  I can be lazy here, doing what I want, when I want. Do you see a hint of artichoke leaf by the bottom corner? I tried to enliven this area by putting plugs of thyme, rosemary, and this artichoke that is now chocking with weeds.  Weeds thrive in this environment where rain is abundant.


These gourds are not native growth, though some mushrooms grow this big and bulbous. These cultivated in my other garden, down by the lake. I brought them up here to "decorate" this strip in front of the house.  They become "talking points" with my neighbors, surviving all winter out here. In  a few weeks, as it gets warmer, I will cut them up, save the seeds, and eat or compost the flesh.
 Lazy and inexpensive decoration.


There is color from December on, ranging from the white of the Star Magnolia to the red of the camellia.  Yellow and pink and orange blooms are everywhere.  Whoever landscaped this place loved colors.

The only thing I have to do is gather spent blooms, trim errant branches, move the benches to follow the sun.  This garden came together after decades and centuries of selection and survival struggles.


All I do is enjoy.

42 comments:

Tabor said...

A very nice garden with lots of different areas depending on the weather.

Marlene said...

That the best way to garden! It is enough to put energy into a vegetable garden. Your place is beautiful!

Brian Miller said...

smiles. i like that kinda gardening...

rjerdee said...

Thanks for the garden tour! Beautiful. And I love those purple chairs for chatting with hubby.:) Happy Spring!

An English Shepherd said...

Looks great :-)

Chip would dig it up for you ;-)

Wizz

ellen abbott said...

How nice. It's mostly sink or swim in my gardens. I use mostly native perennials. the country house has lots of hardy roses and other blooming shrubs. One of the things that attracted us to this place.

Monkey Man said...

Looks like a very relaxing garden.

Terra said...

You have a great concept of lazy gardening. I'm with you there girl. I love the areas you show where you and your husband sit and enjoy your yard.

Unknown said...

Lovely. I refer to my gardens as the weed bed and the other weed bed.

Villa-loredana said...

Hello dear, as always I am learning from your posts and my eyes are enyoing in nice pic. Great garden adn scenery. Have a nice time. Loredana.

Pseudo said...

Your upper garden is lovely. What a great place to sit, relax, and enjoy.

Anonymous said...

Looks like you have a delightfully low-maintenance haven.

Sarah Laurence said...

I admire you for growing mostly natives – it is a lovely garden!

Wander to the Wayside said...

I'm so envious of your mature landscaping! We had to start from scratch four years ago, and we may never even live to see the trees mature or enjoy their shade. I like your way to garden, which seems especially appropriate for our age group!

Unspoken said...

It looks so lush! Just as one would expect of an NW garden. I like the free flow of it.

Natalie said...

I love it!It must be very beautiful to just sit and appreciate.

Lyn said...

You have created your own private garden of Eden ... paradise and special spaces to fit any mood. I love the Muskoka chairs facing one another ... they whisper relaxation. So tranquil ...

Anonymous said...

Lucky lady! I must not only fight the weeds, but water rationing. Eventually we will have a native garden with things than can survive drought. Right now, the prettiest things among the drought resistant are the yellow-orange California poppies and my succulents. I plan on having many more succulents in my garden.

Marguerite said...

Looks like paradise and easy maintenance, too! Your property is lovely and so close to the beach, too! What a great place to live!

Cloudia said...

TWO gardens? COOL!



Aloha from Waikiki


Comfort Spiral

Cheryl Cato said...

Lucky you! You have a beautiful place; glad you enjoy it.

Hilary said...

What lovely garden spaces you have. I like the way the chairs seem to be having a chat with one another.

RNSANE said...

What a gorgeous place you have, Rosaria. It seems like a little bit of heaven, with so much variety. I do know, at times, you miss the conveniences of the city but, then, you just head south for a spell for that fix and it must be nice to get to your lovely space when you tire of all the hustle and bustle.

Anonymous said...

Your garden is beautiful!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

It's lovely! It looks like a wonderful garden for strolling!

Maggie May said...

You have a lovely garden and I am particularly drawn to those lazy places :-)

Nuts in May

the walking man said...

If a gardener need only sit in an Adirondack chair in the sun then I could garden with fervor.

Rinkly Rimes said...

Very friendly chairs and an interesting garden; the best of both worlds.

Ann Flower said...

Very Beautiful. A walk around your garden could get you into a very nice frame of mind!

Fire Byrd said...

What a wonderful garden. How lucky you are to live so close to the water and have all those full grown trees.

Lisa said...

Your garden is lush and natural. I like that kind of garden and gardening. Live and let live :)

decomondo said...

What a beautifull place to enjoy your time, to read or to talk under the sun, under the stars... Can you see the stars in the evening or is the sky covered with pink and white magnolia flowers?
:)
Have a nice time in your lovely garden (and elsewhere, of course).

Jennifer said...

It sounds like the perfect sort of garden, the kind that works its magic naturally because the plants fit in.

NitWit1 said...

I love that kind of garden but am partial to the two chairs, nostalgia to me of similar chairs my parents had in their yard.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

So lovely! There is no place quite like a garden...and so wonderful to have the space for two distinctly different kinds...Your area is perfect for gardening as well...Such a wonderful post! Sigh...think I'll sit down and enjoy the view ;-) ~Janine XO

Lori ann said...

That last line is PERFECT.

oh, i do envy your garden...

Reya Mellicker said...

What a beautiful garden! Wow.

I always thought that sitting and enjoying (while maybe drinking lemonade, iced tea or something stronger) was a Very Important part of gardening. Weed, dig, then shower and kick back. Isn't that right?

Snowbrush said...

Thanks for sharing your gardens.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I love that you call them gardens and not a "yard". Everyone in our neighbourhood, when we lived in Portland, would call these beautiful green areas yards, which to me sounds like a paved over, very bleak area at the back of the house..... In England we love our gardens ...

Have a great weekend!

Lisa said...

Lovely garden!

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

Lovely stroll through your garden. I live on a lake, and the back yard slopes...I keep adding slate stepping stones and have stopped mowing as I think most of my grass is moss...I have a brown thumb but can grow that ok!

xxx said...

I love that garden of yours.
Lovely to read that you love it too.

I imagine it to be very aromatic.

love to you and your garden
x Robyn