One of the Adeniums I placed on the other side is clearly happy in its new spot and is rewarding me with blooms, a second one there will also bloom soon.

Hetty that is looking like a wonderful botanical garden. When will you open it to the public?

Thanks Lynn! I think I will let the plants all settle in before doing a 'Tour'!

I would take that tour if I lived close enough.

I too would love a tour , but not planning a trip south anytime soon ...so will have to just enjoy your photos.

When it is finished will you cover the soil ? like with mulch or stone ?

Yes, there will be a stone covering just like I did on the small side sections which started this project. However, I intend to have different textures, rather than a uniform covering. I have one section already covered with pebbles ranging from fine pea gravel to stones about 2 inches. I also just about an hour ago received a number of landscape rocks including a feature rock, which pulls the whole thing together. I will probably be moving some of them around for the next few days until I am happy with the look (aside from the big one, which is going to stay where it is.... forever!)

Forever sounds like a good plan Hetty.

OK. I have now gotten to a stage where it's going to sit for a few weeks, without me adding anything. Then I will start thinking about possibly adding any plants, and also the ground cover. As you can see some areas are already covered, I want to be sure to show enough variety that it doesn't become a big gray mass. I've also gotten a bunch of rocks in place (including a nice big one) and some plants have been planted in or amongst those.

Here is the progress: First the front walk

Looking from my front door to the area by the windows.



and the same area, seen from the other direction.

I have a small elevation, where the big rock is, and the big Pachypodiums, and the red clay pots. There is still an empty area there and I am trying to decide what to put there, if anything.

This is from the driveway looking down the shell path that goes to my backyard. I have a bunch of very small succulents by the edge there, we'll see how that works out.

I was very fortunate that just as I had almost completed this phase, we had some heavy downpours. It allowed me to see the efficiency of the new gutters ( ) and it also settled everything nicely into place.
I look forward to your comments, suggestions and feedback!

I really like the diversity and natural look. It looks like something I would see in a botanical garden display.

Thank you! I suppose having now worked in a Botanical Garden for three years wasn't a waste of time then So what do you think of the empty space by my Pachys?

I think you will know when you see just the right thing. Wish I could give a suggestion but The plants you grow are not from my zone and rather unknown to me
Having an empty space isn't a bad thing , it stimulates the imagination.

Thank you, I needed to be reminded of that
I intend to eventually put a covering of granite chips, sand and some other stones down, and should have most of the planting complete at that point. For now I'm letting it 'germinate' (and hope not too many weeds germinate while this is happening! )
When I did the small side area to 'test' the project I covered with granite chips and find the area now too monotonous, so I will alternate different kinds of covering. One area already has river gravel in various sizes.
This is what the side looks like. I will eventually start mixing up the covering there as well. Since I took this picture I already put some more river rock down on top of the chips to continue the 'dry riverbed' look from the other side.

The plants are beautiful and they are going to fill in beautifully. I like the idea of mixing up the size and type of rocks, I agree that when it is all the same it can look kind of sterile. The plants are the thing though and once they start taking up the space they want, moving in different directions, it will take on a life of its own. I also think if all the rock were the same I would be more obsessive about picking up every little thing that dropped in there and, you know, a little of nature's disorganization is a beautiful thing at times.

Thanks. Yes, I was inspired by a picture I saw while googling ideas, and realized it shouldn't look like a sterile desert. Your observation on picking up every little thing so as not to disturb the 'perfection' is a very good one.

I saw a desert landscape recently where they distracted from the desert rock, by putting colored glass pebbles and/or marbles in scattered here and there to break the monotonous color. I have not decided if Iike it yet or not. I'll have to see if I can find that link for you or not, Or maybe it was a magazine. I don't remember to be honest.

Here is one link:

http://www.americanspecialtygl...
http://www.americanspecialtygl...