Several people have asked me to share my thoughts on how I've achieved our backyard oasis. I thought it would be fun to start a blog. I started with my process of re-doing our yard. I hope to continue this blog with specifics on plants, favorite garden tools, seasonal garden tasks, and other thoughts that come to mind.
Disclaimer: I am not a botanist. I am not a master gardener. I am not even a member of the local garden club, though maybe I'll join the local group some day. I have no business starting a garden blog. If you want an expert, consider following some of my links. :)
When we first moved here, it was far from park-like. There is/was a large patio with an open corner. Under the corner was an open area with black plastic, covered with white rock, and weeds. There were some straggly redwood trees. Every time I tried to plant, the gophers and ants would eat everything. The grass was green, but required a lot of work to water, weed, and mow. Since we both have a lot of allergies, including to the grass, it seemed crazy to work so hard to tend to the plants that made us sick. There was not much to draw anyone outside.
So the summer of 2001 I decided to start over. I gutted the entire yard, front and back. I kept a very small number of plants. I did a lot of studying and planning. I measured and diagrammed our yard. I used the Western Garden Book from Sunset and Allergy-Free Gardening by Thomas Leo Ogren to create a spread sheet of plants. I consulted with Kate Hartley from Sun and Shade Nursery. (Her advice was definitely worth the money!) Allen and I frequented garden stores and shows. (My favorite stores are Green Meadow which is up the road and has great plants and Green Thumb which is in Ventura and has a great variety and some hard-to-find items.) I asked folks at the spring home show. (The Agromin folks said 1 Hard scape, 2 soil amendments, and 3 planting.)
So my garden renovation began.
No comments:
Post a Comment