My Birthday Present

Fairy Land! Little did I dream when I asked Bob to make me a gate for the "new" shade garden that he'd out-do himself and make this marvelous creation! What a great birthday gift! The gate leads from the path (that used to end abruptly at a section of non-descript fencing) to the greater wild woods beyond. Enchanting.
The new gate transformed the entire area. Bob maneuvered the elephant ears (Colocasia) closer to the base of the large pine tree (to the right) and he even installed a new drive-through gate farther to the right. That opened up the entire backside of my lilac area and gave us even more room to play in. I now feel inspired to "finish"* the Shade Garden, complete with a path up to a higher private area that affords a lovely little view down into the rest of the garden... Magic!!
Here's another, closer shot:

It's ethereal and sturdy at the same time. The quartz rocks float in such an enchanting way in front of the gate; Bob is so eager for the mesh fence to rust up so that you'll no longer see the grid lines. I kind of like them, but it will look even more delicate...
And here's a detail of the center top of the gate: Loads of tiny quartz rocks spiraling upwards...

The other morning, I walked down with Robin to check on the Shade Garden. I was delighted to see that a spider- no doubt inspired by Bob's gate- had constructed a web to the left of the gate. It was sparkling with dew and made a wonderful visual accompaniment!

Alas! I tried to take a picture that captured the beautiful rivalry of web and gate but didn't succeed! Could it get any better than this?!?
 *Is any garden ever really "finished"?!?!?

Moving the Goal Posts

Can you see it? Can you see what's different? To the occasional visitor it might not be super evident but to us it's major: the gate is GONE!! There was a scabby wire fence separating this section of the yard from the "outside world". In order for us to access the vegetable garden or compost pile, you had to exit through a gate; not always easy when carrying a pile of kitchen scraps or wheeling a wheel barrow. Psychologically, it was a big barrier. Besides, Lil' Robin the Good was doomed to remain on the other side of the fence.
Yesterday, we finally moved the fence. Bob had done preparations in the form of selecting and resurfacing the posts- stout cedar posts that he employed an ancient Japanese wood burning technique to preserve. The gate got moved first:

(Yes, the gate will be repainted soon.) Then we moved the wire fence and let Robin out of the house. First she approached what used to be a fence, apparently uncertain that it was gone. Then she stepped forward hesitantly, like a force field was going to rebuff her. Then she exploded out into the new area- lots more space and smells to explore!

And I discovered lots of weeds! Holy cow! That fence prevented me from accessing the side of the Blue Garden and weeds and invasive ornamental grasses had run amuck. (I guess I know what I'll be doing for the next week or so.) But I did get a good idea of how to reshape the edge of that garden...

In all fairness, this side looks pretty good. And here's a close up of my favorite pale blue "Belladonna"Delphinium:

That color is pretty accurate; like a summer sky. I'll have to take a few pictures of the area behind the Blue Garden- sort of our utility room for the vegetable garden. Bob constructed a lovely fence out of old slats from recycled stockade fence affixed to a simple wire grid fence. It looks great and functions to afford more privacy while composting or working in the vegetable garden. It's beautiful! (And worthy of it's own blog post... coming soon.)
Here's the view from the driveway side looking back to our yard.

Kinda makes the propane tank surround look wonky... hahahaha! If it's not one thing it's another. But the overall affect is one of splendor and open vistas. Come by and see it!

Grape Expectations

We've been busy in the Agricultural Triangle. Grapes became this weeks obsession and we bought two Concord grapes (dark purple), a Niagara (white) and a Reliance (red and not pictured above as it was just purchased today). Bob dug holes large enough to plant a grand piano or two assuring that the roots will have plenty of space to expand. Bob has planned poles and wires for trellising and possibly an arbor someday. We've both always loved Concord grapes but the other two seemed like a natural: a color for every taste and mood! It may take a few years, but we're already anticipating all the fun things we can do with them.
Here's a shot of Bob climbing one of our three compost piles. (This is what we do for fun, mind you).

That other pile in the right front is raw manure and available to any and all who want great fertility this year. You, too, can have a compost pile to climb on...
And while on the subject of the vegetable garden, Bob re-thought some old metal work he had and fashioned four gates for the garden. Each garden face now has a gate. That makes it really convienient to water and off-load manure and tend to the grapes! Here's a shot of one of the gates:

You will, of course, notice that there is no fence on this side. But at least we have the gate! We did buy the fencing to finish the perimeter and that next weeks project. (Last year we made do with bird netting. We didn't want to erect permanent fencing as Bob was taking down a few trees.)