Our goal is to share our 30+ year gardening and landscaping journey -
and we would love to hear about - and see - yours.
Gardening and Landscaping are, for us, a daily immersion in joy, inspiration,
gratitude, and the inevitable occasional frustration. We love our garden walks at the end of the day – typically covered in dirt and dripping sweat – to admire the results of our work. We never tire of watching the antics of the birds and chipmunks, the beauty of the butterflies and hummingbirds. We also delight in whimsical garden art pieces – some of which we have created; others gifts from our adult children and grandchildren. See mini video at bottom of page.
Design – both in the overall garden layout and in each component is primary – for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Fortunately, we both have a design background and compatible tastes. I have wondered how partners can work together on garden design if they have vastly different design preferences. Does one of them prevail in terms of deciding how the landscaping proceeds? Do they divvy it up – you take the back; I’ll take the front? I can only imagine the stress.
Our gardening journey began with the first house we bought together in the mid-80’s. It was a brick colonial with a very small back yard – half of which was taken up by a garage – like so many city lots. We were fully immersed in a life with teenagers and careers, but we found time to create flower beds and a wandering path.
When we bought our second house, we fully engaged in renovation – inside and out – including a major focus on landscaping. We were hooked! We worked on the landscaping for 16 years, and would have loved to take every plant, shrub, and antique brick with us when we moved.
Our Current Garden was the epitome of a blank canvas when 8 years ago we downsized into a brick cape cod on a tree-lined residential street just steps from Lake Erie. The only exception was a beautiful red maple/ Acer tree that framed the then bare yard from the back windows.The following Spring, we began a commitment to a gardening journey that one or two friends called obsessive-compulsive. (We prefer the term ‘all-encompassing’.)
The Design is intended to lead a visitor along stone paths with garden alcoves or ‘rooms’ appearing around each turn - each with its own emphasis, perennial plantings, and seating options. The result is an illusion of a much larger space within the dimensions of an average ‘backyard’.
Nature is a capricious nymph who essentially holds the winning hand -
so gardening is very much about learning, course corrections, and plenty of surprises. Good decisions, research, and a focus on best practices can create a certain amount of predictability and consistency. And there’s no substitute for experience, but nature will prevail. Just like life, right?
In future blogs, we will share some of the details, such as creating a habitat for bees, butterflies and other beneficials, our recipe for perennial garden soil, propagating from seed, Tim's bonsai collection, Louie's garden art, and in general how we upcycle, re-use, and otherwise create beauty on a diy budget.
Love to hear your questions and comments.
© 2023 copyright Marilou Myrick - Myrick Creative LLC
Here's our 2 minute Garden Tour Video
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