Spring pictures from the Big Blue House

 WHAT'S BLOOMING AT THE BONAM'S SPRING 2012

The hyacinths have come and gone, as did our daffodils.  Thier minature cousins (iris,daffodil, hyacinth and tulips) all bloomed about a month ago, and our crocus have been gone since the beginning of March.  The paperwhites have also bloomed and faded by the time we took these photos. 

Shrub Garden

Backyard Walkway

Since we dove right into projects this spring, we didn't get pictures taken and uploaded to the blog as quickly as we should have.  Sadly, these pictures were taken a few weeks past the tulip's prime. 

None-the-less, they are still beautiful spring pictures of the Big Blue House. 

These pictures are the fruits of our labor (and the cause of our previous November back injuries) 



Berm




Front yard walkway to the drive





Front Birch Bed



Front Peach Tree Bed



Foundation Planting




A few weeks earlier the Rhododendron behind the Azaleas was in bloom as well.  This photo was taken after I had cleaned up the area and snipped quite a few spent tulips.


Foundation Planting



Corner Fence / Paperbark Maple Garden



Corner Fence / Paperbark Maple Garden



It's a pity that we didn't snap a picture of this sooner.  The corner fence had many more hyacinths and tulips a few weeks earlier.  That is an Olga Mezitt Rhodo behind the fence.  Each spring she is STUNNING.  Every passer-by asks about Olga.


Native Garden





The photo to the right is of our Native Praire Garden.  This photo was taken early April...and YES those are coneflower next to the tulips.  They came up REALLY early this year.


Mature Lilac




My mom's nat geo moment




My mom's nat geo moment




Berm




Berm




In just a few weeks, the tulips on the berm will be traded out for Allium.  I cannot wait to see that.  I adore Allium.

Fenceline



Front Peach Tree Bed




Fenceline



Side of house pulling into our Drive



Another of Mom's Nat Geo Moments



The New Pond Area In Detail

The new pond area in detail.

let's get down to the nitty gritty...How did we do it?

Materials List:

Campanula 'Glometera Superbra' x 12

Iris 'Silver Edge' x 9

Fern 'Japanese Painted Fern' x5

Coreopsis 'Dream Catcher' x 3

Geranium 'Sanguineum' x 3

Stachys 'Hummelo' x 3

Liriope ' Varigated' x 3

Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Ice' x 5

Brunnera 'Looking Glass' x 3

Hosta 'Great Expectations' x 1

Hosta 'Wide Brim' x 1

Hosta ' Remember Me' x 1

Hosta 'Spilt Milk' x 1

Hosta 'Guacamole' x 1

Hosta 'Bright Lights' x 1

Hosta 'Patiriot' x 1

Hosta 'Sun Power' x 1

Azalea 'Nova Zembla' x 2

Ajuga 'Bronze Beauty' x 12 (so far, but need more)

Lysimachia 'Aurea' x 6 (so far, but need more)

dwarf fothergilla x 1

 Assorted Sedge(s) x 5

STILL NEED: Foamflower (3), Coral Bells (2) and many bulbs for spring color. 

Total number of plants to complete this area: 85 + spring bulbs.

This is how it started.

A girl, a pencil and a plan

                                                                             CHANGE IN PLANS:  Along the way, plans changed.  You'll notice that originally I didn't plan for the dry creek bed.  It wasn't until I started cutting and filling the area with dirt and soil ammendments that I realized that we had to reconfigure things.  Originally, I had also planned for Olga Mezitt Rhodos and Sedum.  That changed as well.  I just couldn't find Olga, and realized that Sedum would not get the necessary light requirements.  The Olga's were swapped out for Nova Zemblas and Brunnera was substituted for Sedum.  To the left is the rough sketch of what my vision was for the pond area.  We also had to change locations of plants during installation as we were battling some hefty tree roots.

PLANT / MATERIALS ACQUISITION:  During the initial planning stages I also took finances into consideration.  We had the menards cards to purchase shrubs and "fillers".  Further, buying perennials from an online nursary saved us a bundle!  This is the first time I used GORGE TOP GARDENS and I must say that I was quite impressed.  The plants arrived healthy and really well cared for.  At the time they also offered $8.95 flat rate [any size order] shipping.  I think It's now $10.95, which is still unbelieveable.  YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT.  www.gorgetopgardens.com/

Check them out if you are doing any big landscaping projects.  You won't have immediate gratification, but all good things come to those who wait. 

Most of my hosta have come from CONTRARY MARY'S.  Mary knows her stuff!  My husband and I went there with a basic idea of what color/size hosta I wanted and Mary had it OR even better, she'd one-up it!  If you are not in the Minooka, IL area...she's online.  www.contrarymarysplants.com/

The dirt and cobblestone came from ILLINOIS LANDSCAPE SUPPLY.  Great People, very friendly.  Same day delivery available.  Again, reasonable prices. www.illinoislandscapesupply.com/

TIMELINE:

 We Started the project April 8th (Easter Sunday) and it has taken roughly 3 weeks to complete. 

This timeline also includes the installation "Grandma's garden", and "Tsinat's garden". 

STAY TUNED...

MORE INFO/PICTURES TO COME AS THINGS MATURE!!

Lofty Hopes and Dreams

PROJECT 1.

THE NEGLECTED BACK YARD.

Lofty hopes and dreams.  That's how every story begins...

I love gardening magazines.  I love the look of lush, full plantings with pathways leading you...wait...begging you to explore further.  Along the way you find hidden treasures that give you some insight to the homeowners personality.  Birds sing to you as you continue your journey, stopping only to admire the way the light plays off the color of the leaves and the different textures that were used in the bed.

STOP. 

The image I just created was NOT my backyard.

I wanted it to be my backyard, but it wasn't. 

So this year we decided to make the dream a reality.  Let's start with some before images and descriptions. 

CONS:

• Our gutter downspout pops up right in a prime planting area, making it difficult to landscape around it.  You can't use mulch around it and you have to be cautious what you plant.  The back yard is also on a slight slope, so the water from the pop up downspout will wash away anything in its path (not just the immediate area around it)

• We have a large maple tree that the previous homeowners planted SMACK DAB in the middle of the back yard, also making landscaping difficult.  This tree means that much of our back yard is shaded / part shade.  The light itself is not a problem, but the location of the tree is.

• The gazebo takes up quite a bit of space in the backyard leaving only a small area for the pond itself.  Any hopes of making the pond larger simply aren't possible without removing either the tree or the gazebo. 

• When we installed our fence, it left a very narrow area on the side of the gazebo, also very shaded.

This is how the "Lilac Meadow" started in 2009

PROS:

•  When we installed our fence, it left a very narrow area on the side of the gazebo, also very shaded.  This gives me the ability to create a secret, secluded area in the yard because it is not visible from the backdoor.



Another picture of the "Lilac Meadow". This was taken in 2011. 



• There are SO many wonderful perennials that can be placed in shade / part shade. 

• By increasing the size of the pond flower bed itself, we also immediately created paths to get to and from different areas of the yard.   

Our projects this spring have included:

1.) I finished off the edges in the lilac meadow with some decorative bricks that matches the previously installed raised bed ( note the lower left side of the picture.)  We filled in the newly edged beds with dirt.  It will be home to hosta, primrose, astilbe, spiderwort and lamium. Currently, only a few hosta and the spiderwort are planted.  More pictures will be posted in the coming weeks as to how this area is progressing.  In the distance is the "secret garden"  I am looking for an old wrought iron gate to use as a gate to keep the dogs out of the veggies and hops.

2.) We've also added additional beds in front/around our raised vegetable garden.  One of them I affectionately call "grandma's garden".  It will be home to peonies and poppies.  These flowers remind me of both of my grandmothers.  One grew the most beautiful peonies, and the other belonged to the VFW.  Every year we sold buddy poppies.  I was buddy poppy queen when I was younger.  :) 

Currently only the peonies are installed. 

When we dug out the area around the pond, several daylilies had to be relocated.  Because I loved the look of the salvia, daylily and lavender combo in the front; I mimicked this in my backyard.  I absolutely love the color, texture and contrast of these plants.  They are in the lower bed. 

The big plastic covered mound in the background is sod.  It is sitting in what should be one of our vegetable gardens. At least it's not in the driveway!  :)

The new areas are desperately in need of mulch, which hopefully we will be doing the first weekend of May.

3.) We also installed a wonderful shade / part shade bed which includes a hydrangea bush, Solomon's seal, goats beard, hosta, columbine, toad lily, and carex.  On the edges of the bed that receive more sun we have creeping phlox, coneflower and black-eyed susan.    We sponsor a child in Ethiopia.  Her last name is Solomon.  I wanted to create a bed so that I could plant Variegated Solomon's Seal to remind me of her.

 

REALITY CHECK:  IF YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF THE FAMINE / DROUGHT IN AFRICA PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELF ON IT.  IT IS DEVASTATING.  IF YOU ARE ABLE PLEASE HELP.  We found our sponsored family through Childfund International, but there are many organizations that have been founded to help those in Africa.  We are fortunate enough to have the EXTRA water for a flower garden, they are not fortunate enough to have even enough water to drink or grow FOOD.  Puts things into perspective doesn't it?

4.)  We placed rock in front of our back gate to tie into the pergola area.  I have a thing for curved lines and it was always just a bit off in my eye.  We had just enough rock left to fix it.  Lex is currently growing about 100 irish moss now to fill this area.



Before



After





5.) THE GRAND FINALE:

  We increased the size of our pond area and planted several perennials.

The goal was to tuck the pond away behind lush plantings. In our case there will be 5 hosta and various other plants in the foreground.  We solved the drainage issue by creating a dry creek bed that runs along side the bridge, the rest of the area outside the "creek" will be mulched. 

To fully enjoy the view of the pond you will need to venture down the path toward the bridge, stopping to watch the ornamental grasses swaying gently in the breeze.  Your eyes then notice the delicate foliage of the ferns against the contrasting broad leaves of the hostas.  Listen as the busy bumbles are flying from flower to flower enjoying their sweetness...birds sing to you as you continue your journey, stopping again to admire the way the light is playing off the color of the leaves and different textures that were used in OUR bed.

Lofty hopes and dreams.  That's how every story begins...

Change of Plans

Spring has sprung at the Bonam's, the projects have officially begun.

So remember the project list from last month? 

Plans changed.  We decided that rather than doing the arborvitae, we would concentrate on our neglected backyard. 

SOME HISTORY:  A few years back we installed a smallish prefab pond.  It was cute, I loved it.  It was well planted the first year.  We bought beautiful koi to put in the pond and even installed lights to enhance the pond for night viewing.  It was a great summer.  Radio margaritaville and BBQ every Saturday night the first year.  The pond wasn't / isn't deep enough to winter the koi, so all but ONE were brought into the house.  "Orange Blossom" was our guinea pig to see if they could survive the winter in the pond.   We continued to love them and feed them all winter.  Orange Blossom hibernated in the pond outside.  The inside koi ate from your hand and grew like crazy. 

Spring came and it was time to move everyone outside...WITH ORANGE BLOSSOM.  Orange Blossom survived the winter and also grew like crazy.  We waited until it was warm enough and the pond was ready.  The move went well, everyone acclimated into the pond and seemed very happy.  The next morning I woke up to Lex standing at our bedroom window saying "honey, wake up.  you have to see this".  I stumbled to the window (still half asleep) to find a large white bird standing in our pond with its head down.  I FLEW down the stairs with our shepherd in tow, shoved him out the backdoor and we raced to the pond.  

Needless to say, most of the koi were gone.  It was devastating.  We replaced a few koi (which in frustration I named them Sushi and Ceviche).  We had to place a large net over the top of the pond to prevent our new koi from living up to their name.  Now I couldn't plant anything in the pond because of this large net.  To say the least, I was very discouraged.  Who would have thought that a heron would choose our SMALL pond for breakfast? 

Months passed.  We restocked the pond. They were becoming more friendly and they too ate out of your hand.  We didn't reinstall the lights and again... nothing was planted.  Frustration caused the pond area to fall into a state of neglect.  The pond was nice, but that's about it.  We still had Buffett & BBQ on Saturday night, but the ambiance of the pond was absent.



THIS YEAR: When "spring" arrived (early) this year we did our yard clean up and trekked around the property deciding what to do this year.  I found that after each exhausting day in the garden we would retire to the front porch for our victory beer and cigar.  Hence, the need for the arborvitae for more privacy in the front. 

Now, our backyard is visible from our large back door/windows in the kitchen.  It [the backyard] became our "dirty little secret".  Everyone saw the beautiful exterior, but no one saw the nightmare that was our backyard.  Landscaping follies.  Yes I had many.  I used small rock as mulch around the pond area.  ROCK.  Do you know how hard it is to plant and dig in rock?  This is another reason that the area never got finished.  We couldn't figure out [at the time] any other way to keep mulch from washing into our pond, so this was our answer.  We had a tree ring that was right next to the bridge to go over the pond.  We went through installing waterfalls that didn't work the way they should, a waterfall that looked terrible and a fountain that stopped working.  The pond area has been a royal pain in the...let's just say it's been a headache.  Last year my mother painstakingly picked up each and every rock/pebble around the pond in her free time.  On a side note she told me that she would beat me if I ever used small rock as mulch again.  We had lofty ideas for the back yard, but it just kept going to the back burner.

Then it came to us.  Let's finish the back.  enjoy our BACKYARD.

So this is what the next few posts are about.

OUR CHANGE OF PLANS.

THIS IS OUR "BEFORE" PICTURE



 

The First (of many) Post(s) About Beer

What Is

 BEER?

First, malted barley is mixed with hot water, creating the "mash", an oatmeal-like substance.  Next a sugary liquid called wort (pronounced "wert") is drained off.  The hops are boiled with the wort to add bitterness, flavor, and aroma.  Yeast is mixed with the hopped wort and left to ferment.  The yeast converts sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide.

FUN FACTS ABOUT BEER:

• The ancient Babalonians were the first to brew.  They took the whole business pretty seriously.  Punishment for a bad batch?  Being drown in your bad beer.

• Beer is mostly composed of water.  Water does contribute quite a bit to the flavor of the beer. Water in certain regions were originally better suited to making certain types of beer.  Dublin's mineral-rich hard water is great for making stouts such as Guiness.  In the middle ages CLEAN water was harder to come by.  More people chose beer over water, because it was simply safer.

• In 1814 a brewery tank containing 3500 barrels of beer ruptured causing a tidal wave of beer through a London parish.  Two houses were demoloshed and nine people were killed.

• In legend and lore, Vikings believed that a giant goat whose udders provided an endless supply of beer was waiting for them in Valhalla (Viking Heaven).

• Always store beer upright.  This reduces oxidation and contamination from the cap.

• Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass.

• Pilgrims on the mayflower stopped at plymoth rock rather than continuting on to Virginia  because they ran out of beer.

Project #5 this summer. FINAL PROJECT. Mowing strip along front walkway

Our final project this season is to create a mowing strip along our front walk.  It is very difficult to mow currently.  Our property is every so slightly sloped, thus the need for the stepped walkway.

I plan on finding antique / reclaimed brick similar to those pictured above.  When everything is done, the brick mowing strip will flow into the "brick" front porch.

How To Install The Mowing Strip:

Step 1

Measure the walkway. Standard bricks are 4 inches wide and 8 inches long; use other types if you prefer but make sure that they are designed to be used in ground installations.

Step 2

Dig a trench around the walkway at least 4 inches deep. Make your trench wide an inch wider than your bricks so that there will be room to work bricks into the sand.

Step 3

Fill the trench with sand up to about an inch below the surface and tamp it down well by walking around it or leaving it to settle for a few days.

Step 4

Lay your bricks in a line or across the sand and work them into the sand foundation until they sit evenly against the edge of the grass. Lay them flat, on end or tip them on their sides. Add a second row of bricks inside as a "curb" around the bed. Tilt bricks against each other in a sawtooth pattern. Use a mallet and board to tap them so they sit evenly.

Step 5

Sprinkle some sand around the edging to fill any gaps and backfill the edging from the garden side with soil. Water the edging well to settle the bricks into the sand.

• START: Start by Sept 1.

• MATERIALS LIST:  reclaimed brick

• ESTIMATED COST: relatively inexpensive, depending on where the brick is acquired.

• PROJECT DETAILS: SEE ABOVE
  

• PROJECTED TIME LINE: 2 weeks

• WORKERS FOR PROJECT: 2 (Honey bunny and me)

Project #4 this summer. New Garage Door(s)

Only one of our garage doors currently opens, the other has to be manually lifted.  To complete this project will will need to also get a garage door opener for the larger of the two doors.

We plan  to get a new large energy efficient door to match the existing small door.  The large door is not insulated and lets considerable amounts of cold air in during the winter months.

the second part of this project is to turn these standard garage doors into faux carriage doors by using a commercially available kit.  The picture above is magnetic hardware attached to a standard garage door.

We will also purchase magnetic window kits for the look of a window on the door as well.  I have no idea how it will actually look when everything is said and done.  I hope it looks fairly real.  Skymall has a really nice "carriage" door kit.  That's a picture of it to the left.  I can only hope that it actually turns out like this.

• START: Start by July 15.

• MATERIALS LIST:  large garage door, garage door opener for large garage door, magnetic hardware kits for both doors, window kits for both doors.

• ESTIMATED COST: Pricing dependent upon hiring help or DIY

• PROJECT DETAILS: SEE ABOVE
  

• PROJECTED TIME LINE: 2 weeks

• WORKERS FOR PROJECT: 2 to install faux look of carriage doors, may hire help to assist with hanging large garage door.

Project #3 this spring summer. Replace Wood Trim around Garage.

The past few years we have noticed the trim around our garage doors was in need of repair.  By the end of last summer, the wood trim was in sorry shape and must be tackled this summer.  AHH... the joys of home-ownership.

Remove Rotted Trim

• Raise the garage door up. Using the flat-head screwdriver, pry the old trim off the doorjamb.

• Using your hammer, remove any nails that may be remaining. Use the claw end of the hammer to remove any residual caulk left behind by the old trim.

• Sand down the jamb by hand using a sheet of rough-grit sandpaper. This will help ensure a smooth application.

Install New Trim

• Close the garage door fully. Start at the top and measure the opening. Using a miter saw, cut a piece of trim to size.

• Have a helper hold one end of the trim to the header while you hold the other end. Position the trim by allowing the weather strip to slightly bend over the garage door. Tack the trim into the header with the finishing nails spaced about 12 inches apart.

• Measure both jambs from the ground to the trim, and cut each piece of trim for the appropriate jamb.

• Line up your jamb trim even with the top trim, and tack into place using the finishing nails.

• Make sure that the weather strip is even all the way around the opening. Finish nailing the trim into place.

• Put the caulk in the caulking gun and apply a small bead between the trim and the door jamb. This will help in keeping moisture from between the trim and wood.

Read more: How to Redo Rotten Trim Around a Garage Door | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5234424_redo-trim-around-garage-door.html#ixzz1kndgClDS

Allegedly... the above procedure is how this whole thing will work.  

Seems easy right?  

Somehow I don't think that this will go as smoothly as it describes.

• START: Start by June 30.

• MATERIALS LIST:  lots and lots of wood trim, nails, caulk, sandpaper

• ESTIMATED COST: Don't even want to think about it.

• PROJECT DETAILS: SEE ABOVE
  

• PROJECTED TIME LINE: 2 weeks

• WORKERS FOR PROJECT: 2 (just honey bunny and me)

Project #2 this spring. Faux Brick Front Porch

PROJECT #2

I will be painting our front porch in a faux brick pattern.  Replacing the worn front porch path with natural stone would be a great way to go, but it requires loads of cash...which will be spent on project #1.

Instead of resurfacing, I'm going to give it a face-lift with paint. 








STEP ONE:  Sweep the surface, then prime it with a concrete resurfacer, like Rust-Oleum's Epoxy Shield.

STEP TWO:  Let dry.

STEP THREE:  starting in one corner, use a 4-inch roller to create a "brick" with a terra-cotta-hued concrete paint. Paint another one below it, and so on, to make a border; repeat along the other side. Fill the space in between with a running bond pattern of 8-inch bricks. Don't worry about keeping them exactly the same size or the lines pin-straight; imperfections make the design realistic.

Let dry, then watch visitors do a double take as they walk in your door.

• START: Start by May 31.

• MATERIALS LIST:  Rust-Oleum's Epoxy Shield, Terra Cotta Hued Concrete Paint, 4 inch roller(s)

• ESTIMATED COST: Less than $50

• PROJECT DETAILS: SEE ABOVE
  

• PROJECTED TIME LINE: 2 weeks allowed.

• WORKERS FOR PROJECT: 2 (just honey bunny and me)

idea and project from:   This Old House
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh