As Promised...More Pics!

Replacing decades-old sword ferns was no small feat, but between Lisa and Chuck, they are gone!
Replaced with a sweet boxwood (someday) hedge and corsica mint ground cover. We chose
hellebore for the bed under the bedroom windows. We love the solar path lighting, too...
it creates starburst patterns on the sidewalk at night. Lovely!

See? That lawn has got to go! Eventually...
We call this the 'island of misfit toys' because all the plants that don't seem to work
in other places get put out here. Surprisingly, they seem to thrive! Maybe it is the
succulents cheering them on... :-)

here is a good shot of the carport, and the handsome maker :-)

the greenhouse is taking shape in the distance! In the foreground of this shot is a lovely little bed
discovered after removing the overgrown Lithodora.
I chose a variegated boxwood and Ajuga (black scallop) ground cover.
One thing I have learned is what plants the deer do not eat. 

The red maple is faring well - I was pretty nervous about the deer munching, but so far, so good!
This is the aroma-therapy garden: lavender, oregano of all sorts, lemon thyme, sage, scads of rosemary,
and oh so much mint! We have peppermint, chocolate mint, and regular mojito mint!

yeah...insetting those flagstones is no small task! So many still to go...

The bulk of our work so far this summer has been removing decades-overgrown plants, including
this pokey-plant that was close to 7 ft tall, and a barberry bush as tall as me, with barbs almost an inch long.
This space is going to be a small patio for our small firepit and benches for roasting marshmellows!

The rock garden has been transformed into our meditation garden! Removed a giant heather
and replaced it with this sweet Korean pine grown by a local organic gardener. 

I am absolutely loving playing with all the succulents in the garden. All the growing things give me hope, even in the face of national tragedies and downright depressing realizations about the reality of our culture, society, and country. Even still, the plants take the sunlight and sweet rain water and magically grow taller, stronger, and more miraculous each day. I can lose myself just walking and sitting in the garden, watching the wind play with the grasses and the birds flitting from perch to perch looking for seed. Yes...that gives me hope in tomorrow.