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2009-09-14

One Woman's Jungle

I have often written about the Amazon Jungle I had growing around my home. I don't think you can believe it until you see it. The following photos are those of my front yard...


This was the view of my "garden" from my porch...
I am sure there were several small creatures living in there...

This was the view at street level. The weeds were as tall as me. I was convinced people thought a wicked witch lived at my house. Complete with cauldron in which to boil kids!

This is what my front garden looks like now...

The view from my porch...
They rounded up some near-extinct species which now reside at the Toronto zoo... :)

From street level, you can actually see my home. The Japanese pine will be planted tomorrow, along with some winter heather that I bought. Now you can actually walk up to my house without getting attacked by weeds or hidden creatures... :)


Underneath the coastal stone and the cedar mulch, the garden is double-tarped to prevent weeds from growing next year to the extent that they did for the past two years. I will be planting some more flowers in the rear bed next spring... :)

Now on to the backyard Rain Forest...


This was supposedly my "parking pad" and entrance to my garden.... Before.

And after.

This is the first thing you encountered when you walked in.
The shiny thing in the foliage is not a unicorn as I previously thought, but my small patio set...

That you can see now... Along with the crab apple tree in the back.
Don't worry though. The bear was returned to his natural habitat :)

In the foreground you can see the Sumach sapling... One of many that was growing.
The Sumach is a weed that can become a full fledged tree in one summer.
Among all this craziness was my other patio set...

That you can now see.


My flagstone path was buried.
In crazy greenery...

But now is an open pallet for next year's planting. The possibilities are endless!
It might look sparse right now, but at least I can see my garden and begin to shape it into an environment of peaceful tranquility and joyful gathering.

So much to look forward to!

My garden saga was not an easy one. I had to "audition" several people for the job and got quotes ranging from 2500 to 4500. I was appalled! I managed to get everything done, including the materials for 1600. Not bad at all! Tomorrow the backyard will be tarped as well so that those pesky weeds do not stifle my flowers again!

12 comments:

Judi said...

Is it a bad thing that the before pictures look normal to me? Looks like you'll be starting out with a clean palette .... plant your garden of serenity, your way.

I also just read "Please Claim Your Own Baggage" - you need to paint those words on a plaque - though that bunch sounds too dense to get it.

There must be a feisty bug going around these days. I usually listen to the whiny ones at work with a half smile while backing away slowly. Today I told her"Well, you know what they say ... Bite Me." Good thing it's not fly season or she would have had a mouth full.

Jo said...

:-D Your before pics look like my garden at the moment, I've always thought people must think I'm a bit of a witch - they're right!
No - it look great now, you've given me a little incentive.

Tracy said...

It looks great, Genie! Now you can really have fun in the garden come next Spring!

Pamela said...

Thank you for sharing your garden sage with us. I must say, my yard looks a lot like your before pictures. In my head, I know exactly how it should look, but the reality of it is, I haven't the money, time or energy to do anything about it. Your saga inspires me and maybe, just maybe, my yard will get some TLC in the spring.

Thank you! And say, I love the new look of your blog! Nice and clean, easy to read, and what a cool header!

Holly said...

This should definitely go a long way to bringing an air of serenity to your difficult days. Yay for you...money well spent, yes?

Tori said...

Your yard looks great. I can't wait to see what you do to your garden in the spring. It will look amazing!

Kim Mailhot said...

You have tended your garden beautifully, Genie ! Wow ! Just think what a pleasure next summer will be ! And hopefully full of much more Genie for Genie time !
Hugs !

differenceayearmakes said...

Whoa, now that took some doing - and I suspect you got a good deal.

All cleared for moving forward.

Shell said...

Though there is all this lovely space in your yard now. I love the wild look in your garden before. Looks like it would take you to another place.

rosebud101 said...

Genie, It looks great! Glad to see you blogging again!

Odd Chick said...

woW! you could have done a before & after show! you had dramatic results from the transformation and hard work.

Serena said...

What a transformation, Genie...I'll bet it felt wonderfully cleansing to your soul as well.