Sunday, August 14, 2011

Fairy garden

This is my little secret garden, I built the fairy house my self, also swing, bench, and hammock. The back shade in the corner by kitchen window and nook is the perfect place to build this garden. My little gnome is so happy with his little property.



This is my pride delphinium, I planted it from seed two years ago, and now it grow 7 ft tall.

The flowing rock as dry creek. I call it my secret fairy garden because it is hiding behind two mature red currant shrub, people will not notice if I didn't show them about the little world beyond it.

Dry creek was after rain, it was really something beautiful, because I built it but acctually nature make it perfect.



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Vegetable Garden on July 2011

Vegetable garden from the back view with raspberry patch in the temporary raised bed, because it is moist area especially after rain for couple hours, so planting raspberry in the raised bed is acctually good, I'm gonna have raspberry harvest sometime soon.



View from the left side, I keep covering carrot until harvest time, shelled peas and snap peas growing on teepee , which I acctually prefer growing them on row by trellis. But the teepee style can save the growing space .

My first tomato this season, it is early girl variety that I propagated from cutting this spring, this way cut the waiting time for ripe tomato, and acctually it mature faster than seed started tomato, maybe because this is early girl hybrid which is early mature variety, but another type I propagated from seed like big beef, brandywine, ruby heirloom are starting to fruiting , but still later than cutting . Shelled peas is growing on teepee. Bush bean with lettuce growing together are really good companion, both are healthy looking plant compare to another one that I planted them with tomato or onion. My second years munstead lavender, so fragrant, I'm trying to make lavender oil now for July project.

Corn are growing in the raised bed with bush bean for companion plant and mulch them with dried grass clipping, because I didn't use any herbicide for lawn, so it is safe for mulch.Corns are indoor seeded last May which is make them grow faster than direct seeding. I put 1 fish ( kind of raw non salt hering fish) in every hole when transplanting time, same thing I did for transplanting tomato but I added crushed egg shell for tomato. That way acctually cut the fertilizing time, just in case I forget or too late for fertilizing, fish is slow acting nitrogen, and egg shell is calcium. Acctually, I'm not fertilizing them after but the plant look happy tho. Another potato patch is in the back by drainage and back fence, those are russet potato from my pantry, it was potato for eating, but I kept it too long and I found it sprouting, so I planted them and those are look healthier than yukon gold seed I purchased from store which I planted them in the raised bed. Raspberry patch by compost bin and sunflower by the gate, those are giant and dwarf sunflowers.

The new gate that hubby built it last week, I design the arbour and hubby design the gate with the window for peeking. I love it so much because it is like japanese style gate. I planted golden elderberry on both side of the gate for brighten the spot and japanese maple substitute. I prefer using sutherland elderberry for good impact but I read somewhere that golden elderberry is edible. Goji berry with marigold by the back patio, I started them from indoor seeding last December , and I purchased 2 plants from nursery, my original seedling is growing much better than nursery bought. But I see goji berry are fast grower. New addition in the back yard, that is lawn of course , so no more extra weeding like last year, and pathway from flat rock that I collected where ever I found it. Irish moss growing between rocks, it will be spreading to cover the bare dirt eventually, and it can take busy foot traffic too. Another view from herb garden in the raised bed.