Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Better Late Than Never...




I knew better; before ever I started my present garden, wandering around in the brushy woods, dreaming about the garden that was to be, I knew that the pathways should be, as the British garden books always tell us, "wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side-by-side". I intended therefore to have a garden with broad and inviting paths. Well, good intentions don't always lead to good conclusions. What the garden books don't tell you (I guess they figure on a little higher level of garden savvy amongst their readers than they found at this address), is that constructing a suitably wide garden path doesn't do much good if the gardener then proceeds to plant carloads full of shrubs and trees and giant hostas right next to the path. Many of the paths in our garden have become something akin to a deer trail; tenuous in appearance and treacherous to those tall or unwary.
I will say that my garden visitors do get a superior view of the flower beds at least on one side when going on garden walks... slowly shuffling sideways down the paths does that for you. I have, however finally tried to reform, and have been slowly reclaiming (as best I can at this late stage), many of my paths... above are shown one of the old pathways at top, and below two of the paths that I revised this last summer.
So far, so good, but I know my weaknesses all too well, and the spring flower catalogues have just begun to arrive.

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Comments:
And what a beautiful path it is - so inviting and natural. Great job !
 
WOW, I can't imagine how much effort and devotion must have gone into your garden.
Seems very peaceful as well....
What did you say the name of your place?
Lizndon?
I'd love to visit your place someday. :-)
 
Carolyn... thanks... it's looking up!

dl... if you're ever in Iowa City, let me know.
Don
 
Ditto to all the above! You have done an absolutely wonderful job! Your paths are very inviting and beautiful. Now, that's just the sort of thing that makes me want to head right outdoors! Except that it's snowing again... :-(
 
Shady... well, we can dream, can't we? Since my garden is pretty full, really, the big thing I'm going to work on now is "infrastructure"; going back and re-doing paths, edging, things like that.
Don
 
But narrow paths make a visitor feel like an explorer in the woods. Okay, so maybe that's not the mood you were going for. I also have that narrowing path problem. Mine is mostly from unrestrained Lamium & violets, but I know how hard it is to rip out perfectly healthy plants in favor of a path. Yours just look so inviting.
 
MMD... I have a long way to go :)
Don
 
I remember the before photos, Don - and although it was probably fun to be engulfed by the beautiful stuff, what you've done now really accentuates shapes and spaces in a very pleasing way.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose
 
Annie... Thanks; coming from a pro like you, that means something!
Don
 
Wow- thank you, Don! But Pam/Digging is the designer -I've spent 40 years as an amateur.

Annie
 
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