On Tue, 08 Jul 2003 06:39:48 GMT, wrote:


That was so incredibly neat -- to tour a fellow NG member's garden
on-line! Thanks a bunch for posting that. I like your philosophy.
Must be a whole load of work, though; do you have help?

I had occasional hard lug work help by my husband, Mark. Outside of his
wheelbarrows of huge limestone to make paths and raised beds, and the major
weeding we had to do a few years to get rid of them enough to control their
powerful resistence...I did it myself. He was very instrumental in helping with
the very hard grunt work. He still helps with that if need be.

I designed the pool, the pool builder built it. I designed the garden, which is
actually wild, and is only now after three years starting to have bones. It
takes about five years to be really satisfied with a garden. I'm on the way
there.

I have some renovation to do in the front border which is now 50 feet long by 15
feet wide. It's full of Mexican elderberry, Gaura lindheimerii, yucca (few
varieties) and a whole bunch of native plants.

The foundation planting is coming out completely this fall and I'm throwing the
Nandina domestica in the garbage or compost bin. It's so invasive here and
becoming a huge problem. I don't know what I'll replace it with, but I am only
going to use native plants.

I have about 70% natives now, but want to make it as close to 100% as I can and
still have the garden I love. The wildlife is the most important to us.

V