A New Garden Arbor

God bless you for your kind words and the love you sent me last week.
I held them close and found comfort in each and every one.
You are all amazing.

♥
 


When we had to take down this mammoth maple tree on a frigid day last December, 

(read the whole story here)

it opened up the landscape in the front yard so much,
we could almost hear Heaven's Walk breathe a deep sigh of relief.

[You'll never hear me admit this....but doesn't that snow look a wee bit inviting.....?]

But, if you know me like I think you know me,

you know that the gears in my mind started whirling

the second that old tree hit the ground.

I knew what was going to be needed on that north side of the house.

Another garden room.

With an arbor.

A BIG arbor.

But big arbors are expensive.

Being on a limited budget, and not knowing when I would be able to buy one,

I started planning

and digging

and weeding

and staking out the new room

anyway.

We plan on grinding out the remaining huge stump this autumn.

I put driveway stakes where I pictured the placement of the arbor would eventually be.

I'm considering curving this new bed around to include the dwarf crab apple tree - thus creating an outdoor 'room'. (Standing at the NW corner of the house.)

The plants along the north side of the house include a variety of hostas,
bleeding heart, sweet woodruff, foxglove, hydrangea, and a clematis.

Standing at the northeast corner of the house and looking toward the road.

My husband recently surprised me by asking a carpenter friend to build an arbor for me that matched the smaller one in the back yard. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my constant whining.

Yep...he's a keeper.
My husband...not the carpenter.
Well....maybe the carpenter, too.

I spent two days painting it,

and the next day we pieced it together 

and set it in place with the help of our beloved neighbor.

Isn't she beautiful?
She's a glorious eight feet tall and four feet wide!

You can see my smaller arbor in the back yard.

Looking toward the road.

You can tell where I've been watering the grass every day

and where I haven't.

We didn't have any rain for four weeks,
but have since received a slight reprieve from this month's drought.

I think placing the arbor there extended the visual aesthetics of our tall house
by extending the landscaping out into the yard,
which is exactly what I did with the curved beds and arbor in the back yard.

I know there's probably some mathematical equation that tells you how far your landscape should extend out into your yard in conjunction with how tall your house is,
but I haven't a clue what it is - and I am no mathematician.

[My inspiration for creating garden rooms throughout the landscaping comes from Carolyn's breathtaking gardens.  If you haven't visited Aiken House & Gardens on Prince Edward Island, prepare to spend the rest of your day swooning over them here. You'll agree that you've never seen a more beautiful place to live - nor a more elegant lady. I've got a lonnnng way to go before my gardens look anything like hers, but she keeps my head filled with all sorts of ideas (much to The Husband's chagrin).  :) ]

'Sarah Bernhardt' peonies, pink 'Knock-Out' roses, miniature roses in 'Sorbet',

'Blushing Bride' hydrangea, miniature purple butterfly bushes, and hostas found their way into the new bed.

I spread two yards of rich, dark brown mulch,

lugged in some large rocks...

and planted my new favorite climbing rose bushes ~

'Eden' and 'New Dawn'

which will eventually clamber up the sides and cover the top of the arbor like a fragrant, pink canopy.

The only thing left to do is to place some New York Blue stepping stones from the front of the arbor into the grass behind it, connecting the two areas...

and I'm sure I have room for some more roses.

I'm also visualizing some type of small, flowering tree or large, flowering bush on the right side between the house and the arbor.

Any suggestions...?

The baby spruce trees you see on this side of the house

will eventually hug this garden area

creating a cool, cozy room in the landscape.

Creating "rooms" in your garden truly adds atmosphere and charm to your landscaping by
introducing a little mystery by forcing you to peak around fragrant, colorful corners,
as well as mixing in a variety of flowering plants, greenery, bushes, and trees.

I'm looking forward to watching my new room grow and bloom - and will keep you updated on the progress!

~ Blessings ~

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