Garden Tour: Dahtzu

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Posted by @Sharon on
Let's take a little trip to North Carolina to see the gardens that Dahtzu has created. I think you'll really enjoy the beauty of this visit.

 You know, my yard is anything but elegant. It is me, plain old country, doing and planting anything I like. None of my neighbors has flowers other than shrubbery.  I always say I need acreage in the back woods so I would have all the playground I want.

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 Before my garden or yard could have a beginning, a home had to be built. The move in date was January 2006. I live in a rural country neighborhood and I'm the only flower lover in the area. We (my Honey and myself) began landscaping even before the house was completed. This landscaping was the entire length of the house front. Using landscaping block I outlined what is now the flower bed that begins at the garage door and continues around the parking pad and along the sidewalk to the front door and on to the other corner of the house. A lot of work, a lot of locking blocks. Top soil was hauled in before planting began. Next we ordered weeping cherry trees, crepe myrtles and apple trees for the front yard. Now we get to the not-at-all fun part. This soil is red hard packed clay. We used every ounce of strength and energy we had to dig holes for planting, sometimes using an axe or hatchet to chisel out bits at a time. I'm not exaggerating, this ground is so hard that the rented auger would not bore a hole and the tiller bounced instead of cutting ground. After digging the holes, we had to fill the holes with good soil then plant. A few months later we noticed our trees not looking so good. We had a professional come out to determine the problem and were told our trees were dying, they were drowning because this soil doesn't perk. Imagine our surprise at this news since we have a septic tank. Anyway, to solve the problem, we dug up every tree and re-dug much deeper and wider holes, filled them with good soil then planted the trees on top of the soil and filled in on and around them. Our trees are now on miniature mountains.

The front yard has two kidney shaped flower beds that originally were meant to hold extra mulch. Now flowers are so thick in them that putting down new mulch is difficult.

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Lets do the back yard! Yeah right! Same blooming problem, can't cut through the hard red clay. Most of the back yard is fenced in because of the 4 footed sons, and this gives me corners. OK, out with the water hoses, outlining corner, laying brick 3 and 4 high to hold the topsoil that will have to be hauled in by the dump truck load. One large corner done, planted and looking so good, oops, that leaves 3 more corners and so much space in between, just can't stop now. This yard has been an on going building and expanding project for the 5 years we have lived here. Outside the fence we have 15 feet on each side and 25 feet at the end of yard. All this can be planted too if only I could dig holes. I did manage to plant outside the fence on the street side, but again, more hauled in dirt.

I have a square yard with raised beds that are mostly Spring and Summer and the rest of the time I'm working on it. Even the pictures I've taken most often have been of single blooms.
I plant what I like where I think I will like it. And I'm not done yet.

Thumb of 2011-12-11/dahtzu/691533


Now for a mini tour of my country yard.


Each morning when Snese, my 4 footed son wakes me, he is ready for his morning walk. No matter the weather, Snese loves snow and rain, and no matter the time, 4:30 isn't to early for Snese. On these early morning walks, I get to see some of my yard that otherwise I would only see when leaving or entering the driveway. Here are the mailbox and the driveway entrance.

Thumb of 2012-07-04/dahtzu/59c7ce Thumb of 2012-07-04/dahtzu/aa6273


Another is the view from the street that goes down on the driveway side of my yard and from the parking pad up the sidewalk to the front door.

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 Going into the back yard from the patio, I immediately check to see if my patio plants need watering.

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Here is the fence also showing more of the patio, with different views at different dates.

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From the patio in every direction, I am blessed with the beauty of some plants.  The end of the patio is planted with hyacinth, iris, and daylilies. Sometimes I wish I could have all of this area blooming at the same time. Goodness what beautiful color that would provide. Still standing on the patio and looking to the far right corner which is planted with yellow butterfly bush, pink hibiscus, hollyhock, iris, mums, red border lilies, butterfly weed, ice plant and of course some of my treasured semps.

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On the back fence on the right side of the storage house, there are clematis and morning glories. On the left side of the storage house running on the fence is a briarless blackberry vine.  On the small patio on the end of the sun room, I have several potted angel trumpets, and can see across the yard to the first corner I made into a raised flower bed.

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Keep in mind that in the beginning this was going to be just the corner. Even with that thought, we had a dump truck load of top soil delivered. Well that corner has managed to get the entire length of the fence plus part of the end. Colorful, isn't it?  I have color year round with the 'junque' that I have in my gardens. This corner has really grown.

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Continuing with the corner that grew, there is still more to this growing side.  The end of it is devoted to the semps that my friend, Valleylynn sent to me. This is my 'Chick Pen'. I love this spot!

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I didn't show them but I have 'Lynn Chicks' from the parking pad all the way to the front door.


Looking at the back of the house now, there are angel trumpets and an arbor covered with a clematis and hyacinth bean vine.

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This red lace leaf Japanese maple is the home for my 'Chris Garden' and 'Old Red' from my friend, Cheryl. Here are other places and plants in my yard that I love including the maples and the crepe myrtles, taken at different times of the year.

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Thumb of 2012-07-04/dahtzu/9cd359 Thumb of 2011-11-28/dahtzu/15e9a4
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 There are more plants on the patio and the storage house has its own patio with plants. So many pictures, so many beautiful plants!

 ~*~

Dahtzu, what a beautiful tour. I love all the plants but your use of garden art throughout just adds to the beauty. Thank you so much for allowing us a glimpse of all the blooms that surround you. I know our readers will love it as much as I do!

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Beautiful! by vic Jul 23, 2012 7:10 AM 23
Dahtzu Garden by mmaggee2001 Jul 16, 2012 1:24 AM 0

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