Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Merry month of May in the Frontyard Garden

May truly is the Merry Month! 
This is proven to me every time I walk out into the garden, greeted by the newest gathering of wee sprouts, abundant rose blooms and primrose and the unfurling leaves of the Hosta.
The expanse of garden here in the front yard, began as a small corner of plants surrounded by lawn.

As the years went by, the garden grew and grew to the point where the lawn was "no longer".
.This is a Cottage garden, it is chock full of a tremendous variety of native plants, wildflowers, roses, perennials and annual seeds. It will take on a new look every few weeks, as some plants fade and die back and others come into full glory and height.
 Half of the garden lay in full sun, the other have in full shade... it is a tricky feat to make things work out properly.
 The long stone wall containing the Garden from the backside (actually, this would be the front side since it faces the road) is anchored by my picket fence corners on either end, which are connected by a long piece of Cattle panel.  The cattle panel fencing serves as a trellis for climbing roses and honeysuckle and a support for tall plants like Hollyhocks and Joe Pye.
In front of this stone bed, runs a stream, which travels the full length of the property, you can just make out our VERY OLD wooden bridge in the picture below.

 

Stones are a huge part of all the Hopalong Hollowscaping around here.. 
I never purchased a stone, but I have dug them, dragged,hauled them and planted them in every single garden bed.
 I worked for about 2 days cleaning out all the miscellaneous plantings in the raised stone bed...it was a messy conglomeration of too many plants. I removed all but the Daffodils and planted 10 small size Hostas all in a row, and a border of liriope which will only get about 10" tall. I don't like to hide this stone wall behind plants... We worked too hard to gather these rocks and put up this wall.
 There are 9 distinct gardens here in Hopalong Hollow...
 Hope you don't mind seeing all of them before the season is over!


Chicken wire is ALL IMPORTANT around here.... my chickens like to garden in all the wrong places! The wire will be removed once the plants take hold.

28 comments:

  1. My heart just melts at the sight of it al...I received a substantial Italian Heather plant for Mother's Day.. Very popular
    in the 19th Century in England as a potted plant.. Good for Zones
    10-11, but can be grown in containers in garden and moved to avoid
    harsh conditions. At first I thought it a Lupine ... so lush and
    full of blossoms... Light rose and cream...would be a lovely addition to your cottage garden. The iris this year have burgeoned
    and I see yours have been showing off as well. Kudos to you and
    James for filling the world with such loveliness...

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    1. Dear Mary, I love Heather... it does not love me. I have planted it so many times and it just POOPS over and dies wherever I place it. I hope yours will thrive.
      It would be so beautiful growing near your Lambs Ears>
      Iris, such an old fashioned beauty, and the smell is so spicy and sweet, it always reminds me of our neighbors garden when I was a child.

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  2. Jeri, your garden wall makes my heart sing. I love stone walls and your's certainly looks like it could be in England. How special that you gathered these beauties to assemble in your garden. All of your plants are lovely and certainly look at home in your proper English cottage garden. Have a wonderful day. ♥

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    1. Martha Ellen, Stone walls speak the language of Cottage Gardens, don't they? I sometimes wonder how on earth we moved so many stones,as there must be hundreds around here,some of them are absolute monsters. Now that our knees and backs hurt, I'm not so sure we could do it anymore.... Good thing they are all in place.

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  3. Just beautiful Jeri. I can't wait to see all of your gardens.

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    1. HI Fran, And I can't wait to give away some seeds from my last years garden... spread the blooms around all over the country!

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  4. I always get a happy feeling when I see what is happening in the gardens at the Hollow!! Love the rock walls!! Such hard work you do but with great gratification!!! xx oo.Linnie

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    1. Linnie, It is most gratifying when I sit on the porch with my coffee and look out onto all the things I DO NOT HAVE to do anymore because they've already been done...now THAT is blissful!

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  5. It would, for sure, be a shame to hide this lovely stone wall. I have so enjoyed your lovely cottage garden. Beautiful gardens certainly don't just happen...work, work, and more work! I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful gardens at Hopalong Hollow!

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    1. CHIP! I keep telling myself that gardening is just my hobby... but it is truly a labor, good labor, but hard work nonetheless. Worth every minute of it.

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  6. Just lovely. I am looking forward to seeing the other gardens. My plan is to take out our grass and install country cottage garden areas. My husband asked if we can do it in the back as well, so we don't have to mow. Ha! I said Mr. Moose, our mini Schnauzer who isn't so mini, does need a bit of grass. 😉 I'm in SE Washington State. The hot, dry side. We can grow just about anything if we put water to it. Without irrigation, we have sand a sage brush. Thanks for the update! 😃

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    1. Hi Rhonda, We've taken out so much grass. The gardens surround our house and the tiny cottage too. BUT we still have heaps and heaps of lawn because it is a large property. My husband seems to always be cutting the grass! But at least I took away SOME of it. Wow, I didn't know Washington state had dry side! I've only seen the lush rainy parts of your state.

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  7. Jeri Landers, HOW ARE YA, WOMAN????

    I can see you are pleased as punch to see LIFE come back to the Hollow! We are also thrilled in our little suburban cottage. Mrs. Robinson, the infamous robin, has made her gorgeous raffia-laced nest in our Sky Rocket Juniper, right outside our kitchen window. We have witnessed her babies emerging and we are glad. Our boxwoods benefit from the lightening storms we have been getting; they seem to GLOW a neon green after the rains. Goodness, your garden is alive with POWER!!!!!!!

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    1. Anita, I love your gardens, they are very dreamy and romantic. Much more formal than mine. Good to know that Mrs Robinson has returned to bless you with her newest family. Our returns are the little barnswallows that have made a nest in our porch eaves for years. Their mud nest is now 6 stories high!

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  8. I always enjoy seeing your gardens! They are happy and beautiful.

    Love your stone wall.

    Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  9. I love stone walls! Yours is wonderful! Thank you for showing us your garden!

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    1. Cathy, thanks for coming on the stroll with me!

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  10. Your stone wall is marvelous! Your cottage garden "feels" like all of your wonderful creations, so sweet and full of personality. -Jenn

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    1. Jenn, THANKS! These gardens and all their fix'ens are very wild and crazy...indeed, full of personality.

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  11. Oh my goodness, what a fabulous sight. I have a tiny front yard garden, but it isn't to compare with the beauty you have created. Oh to take a stroll among your loveies. Would be wonderful 🌼🌼🌼

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    1. Shelly, I'm betting your tiny front yard garden is as charming as any! Some of my favorite garden beds here, are under 50 square feet; you can do some really nice design in a smaller yard.

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  12. Looks beautiful and like a lot of work. I guess we're never through in the garden. I know I'm not.

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    1. Donna, gardening IS never-ending. And it seems that we're planning the next garden before the last one is even weeded!

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  13. Jeri,
    I cannot tell you how much I love your stone wall. Every time I think of you hauling those things my back hurts, but what a beautiful wall it is. A perfect border for your gorgeous garden.
    Yes, I can see the old wooden bridge over the stream. What a beautiful sight that must be.. Would love to view a close up photo one day.
    Enjoy your weekend.
    Happy gardening.
    fondly,
    Penny

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    1. Penny, That wooden bridge is a mess, we've been trying to remedy it for years with patchwork. But despite all that, it has an old-fashioned charm. It's been there for about 60yrs.

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  14. Oh Jeri, I just love to see your garden!! You did a post (last year?) about a wattled border wall in your garden, and I have wanted one ever since. We finally made one over the winter and now it contains a very happy garden filled with herbs and flowers. Hop on over and take a look ;)

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