Tuesday 16 June 2015

Teensy, Tiny Garden - This post is for you Mum

Many of you may remember my blog posts about my gardens back at the old house. While we loved our garden, it simply became too much work.

This post is mainly for my Mum. She lives 4 hours away and would like to see my new garden. I have mentioned that the new garden is very tiny...teensy tiny in fact. We were worried that we would have a hard time getting used to the smaller size, but have embraced the beauty of a 15 minute tidy up and we are done!

So here is our new back garden in all its teensy glory!  Half the back garden is taken up by a covered patio. We added river rock all around it and varied the size of the stones in places.  DH took out some of the worn out, scrappy  lawn and made a stepping stone walkway to the patio door. He laid finer stones around the slabs and build a bit of a raised bed along side it. I tucked in a few perennials from the old house and eventually will add a few more. I like my garden beds stuffed so full that you can not see the dirt! Sadly, until they grow larger, way too much dirt shows for my liking!


Here is a close up of that teensy bed beside the walkway...

And a shot of the whole patio and deck above...


We had a skinny section of lawn at the side edge of our back garden. It was a bit useless as a lawn due to its slope.  I wanted a dry river gully with a water feature, but DH voted for more flower beds. He built me two more raised beds and we have a good start on the perennials there. They look a little bare, but were planted when it was 34 degrees here, so they all got a little flagged from that heat. They are bouncing back nicely now. I will add more perennials here as time goes by. I am waiting to map out what I have and when they bloom.
As you can see, DH top dressed the existing scrap of lawn and put down a bit of seed as well. Hopefully it takes and fills in the bare spots for now, as we are not planning to level this and returf it till next year.. I did warn you it was teensy!!!


There are hostas in that two tiered raised bed as well. Sadly, they got their leaves burnt from the overhead watering so I cut them off at the ground and will let them regrow. We will install a timer with am emitter watering system that will help prevent this happening again...just have to find time to get out and purchase it!.

Some phlox, crocosmia, bellflowers, columbines, peony,black hellebore, japanese iris, painted daisy, astilbe, lily of the valley, ornamental grasses, mondo grass, and two clematis round it out for now. Amazing how you can barely see them! lol The three shrubs were already there. I think they are a bit boring but DH likes them. Since he did all the heavy work, I decided to pretend to like them too! lol
Sorry about the hose in the photo. It is so hot at the moment that I leave it set up and water each day, until we get out to buy the new system...


We picked up 5 huge  plant pots at Costco and we potted them up ourselves. Some have perennials from my old house incorporated into the plantings. Eventually they will become too large, but we will move them out to the garden beds then. One sits in more shade so I did various ferns and impatience plants.

Another gets full sun so I had fun planting it with various perennials from the old house.

 I couldn't resist one with grasses...

And finally a shot of the front garden. Another patchy lawn...we will lift it and returf it next year...


We have a teensy front porch but managed to fit our old garden bench up there. I like to sit and have a coffee there in the afternoon.


27 comments:

LesleyG said...

Ooooo I love your garden, and your pretty house! You have worked hard, especially in that heat. So glad you rescued some plants from your other garden, and thanks for sharing xxx

brenda said...

Well it may be small to what you are used to Mo, but clearly you have done some very thoughtful planting which will give you lovely displays from different aspects of the house and garden.

It never fails to amaze me on the Continent (Spain, Portugal etc where they have constant heat) that despite some very tiny gardens they still have wonderful displays of colour and it looks at though you are achieving the same.

Thank you for sharing and I am ready for 25th this month, well I think I am.

B

Annie said...

It all looks really lovely - great to see something so well planned out. Annie xxx

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Loved the walk around your yard Mo, and enjoyed the thought it is warm over there now, we have had wet week with hardly any sun... So different from the norm going into withdrawals.
House surely is almost chocolate box with it's garden and all so lovingly
cared for, Shaz in Oz.x

Carol said...

What a lovely house and garden Maureen...you've made great use of the space. Carol x

Sandy said...

Everything is looking really good! You do have a green thumb. I really like to see flowers and plants in pots. Your house looks grand!!
Sandy xx

jimlynn said...

Maureen, your gardens looks wonderful! I love how you planted so many different varieties in them. They'll be just great for years and years to come too. Gardening really is a lot of work so know you'll enjoy the smaller size.
Your home is so pretty!
Lynn

cuilliesocks said...

Hello Maureen, what a beautiful house and a lovely garden, you've put such a lot of thought into the planting and plants, I do like your paving stones and the great stone chips in between. Hopefully it will be easier to maintain too, hugs Kate x

cotnob said...

Your house and garden both look wonderful Maureen, I am sure you will enjoy them both for many years to come.
Pauline
x

KT Fit Kitty said...

What a beautiful home and gardens! I'm not a gardening person myself but I so enjoy looking at other people's gardens! Lovely!

Sue - said...

Such a pretty garden and house! You say the garden us tiny but you seem to be cramming masses of plants in it!

Brenda said...

Your gardens are so pretty Mo and I love your house! I think your garden is the perfect size, nice to not have to spend so much time on keeping it weeded! I love all the beautiful plants you have planted and I know they will look lovely once they get to growing. I hope you take a new picture as they fill in. Thanks for sharing this with us Mo! Hugs, Brenda

Hettie said...

Wow Mo. In this country that is quite a large garden!! I would like one more your size than the one we have (too big for us). If ever you need to work on a large garden again, you are welcome to come and stay and exchange work for keep!! LOL!
Your house looks gorgeous.
Hugs
xx

Sassy Raggedy said...

I so love your new home. This is just wonderful. How lucky you were to find such a great new house.. I love that green thumb of yours. The pics are all wonderful. You are really blessed to be around family and have a home you enjoy so much. Enjoy....Hugs, joann

Carol L said...

Your home and gardens are just lovely!! I'm so glad you're enjoying downsizing - something we should have done when we were younger :)

Unknown said...

I love your teensy tiny garden. I'm sure it is going to be even pretty once everything fills in. And your new house is lovely.

Di said...

Wonderful garden Mo and your house also looks lovely. Wishing you and Al lots of happiness there!

Hugs

Di xx

Sarn said...

LOVE the look of your new house and the garden is coming along nicely.
Hugs, Sarn xxx

cotnob said...

It must be lovely to be close to your family Maureen and to see your grandchildren so often, it's nice for them to be able to pop in for a quick visit whenever they like. My Mum used to live about half an hour away and it was just a too far to be able to pop in daily, I'm so pleased that she decided to move in with us, she has settled in really well and it's lovely to do things together as a family - we are all going to the cinema tomorrow evening.
Take care and enjoy your new home and garden.
Pauline
x

Elizabeth said...

Hi Maureen, your garden is beautiful, as is your house. We don't have architecture like that here in Scotland and it's rare to see a house with front porch that big too, not to mention a distinct lack of upper decks! The changes you've made to your garden are wonderful and I look forward to seeing the beds as they fill our. I wish you both much happiness in your new home :) Elizabeth xx

mamapez5 said...

I think it is a lovely garden, and just the right size. We had a huge garden in UK and it just got to be too much work. But I do like to have a bit of outside space so I can sit and relax when the weather is suitable. And you have already packed so much into the beds. They will be beautiful before long. Kate x

MaryH said...

Mo, this is exactly an IDEAL size - it's delightfully inviting, and love all the nifty plants & interesting items you've added. It just says "Come enjoy some coffee in this pretty outdoor room". Really love the paving stones and raised beds! DH has done some super work designing and doing all the manual labor to make it so lovely. Love the view of your new house too. Gee, you folks have been busy...and it shows. TFS & Big hugs. (wish our lawn was this size! Especially in the hot weather :-)

Sue said...

Oh Mo it all looks so pretty:) and so happy you could fit your bench there too nothing quite like sitting outside on a nice morning..can you please email me your new address because I only have your old one :) take care and have a fab weekend huggles Sue xxx

Darnell said...

Thank you for sharing all the wonderful photos, Maureen! You really do have the greenest of thumbs!! Your gardens are so pretty and coming along nicely already. When they fill out, they will be stunning!I think your house is gorgeous, also! I'm just so tickled for you to be all moved in and settled and back to gardening and for you to be so close to your kids and grandkids! What a blessing! You have a very handy DH, too, which is also a blessing!! Hugs, Darnell

Greta said...

Looks wonderful, Mo! Bet you'll be so happy not to have as much work to do now. I know I loved having so many roses, but am really glad I gave up 1/2 of them. Your place is very appealing--enjoy!

Words and Pictures said...

Looks like you're absolutely making the most of your garden space, Mo - great photos!
Alison xx

Tracy said...

Oh my goodness, I just love your new home…I so want a front deck/porch.
Your flower beds are lovely.
If you hate the look of dirt showing in a flower bed, you would hate mine at the moment…I pulled everything out and only have a shrub and a few plants at the back .
I honestly love your gardens.