John,

Two words, SIMPLY STUNNING!

We used 12 yards of mulch on our gardens. In a few weeks we're refreshing
with an additional 5 yards. That's back breaking labor, but when the job is
done, and you stand back and admire...just how great does it feel? .

Great job, Thank you for sharing!

Mariana

=====================================
John - Pa. wrote in message
...
This is our backyard garden from our second floor window. I was
thinking yesterday that this is just now approaching the original
vision that I had for it when I started my refurbishment project... in
the Spring of 2001!

Originally, the two outer circles were all planted with Azalea. They
were ancient and probably 8-10' tall with the inner and outer circles
grown together so you couldn't walk between them. When we first bought
the house they were beautiful (folks used to have wedding pictures
taken back there), but then a Wisteria (still visible on the left) got
all through the Azalea and killed off half of it.

I dug out all of those bushes and vines by hand. That part alone took
me 2 years, and I figure that there were about 50 shrubs. Then I
began mulching, weeding and planting. The outer circle has Spring
bulbs and annuals in the little circles. I'm focusing on planting
perennials through the inner circle. The center circle (barely visible
behind the foreground tree) is planted with 12 "red-twig dogwood" so
there is color all winter. A couple of weeks ago I put down 10-yards
of the black mulch, and in another couple of weeks I'll get another
5-yards and finish off the outer circle and some other odds-and-ends.

Our property is about 3 acres total and extends back as far as the
picture goes (and it does slope to the left). The "outback", as we
call it is also open lawn and full-sun, and when I retire and can
garden full-time, I'm thinking of putting in a gazebo and additional
flower beds back there.

JD
Canon 10D
EXIF Data Included
e-mail: blissful-wind(at)usa.net

Additional images at;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/john-pa/