 |
| Back Yard: Front and Center |
This is the view of the back yard from the sliding glass door in the family room. Step out of the door and stand on the top of the back steps and this is what you see. That's the little peach tree in the circle nearest the path; the orange tree is in its own planting circle to the right of the photo, closer to the side wall.
Then, if you look a bit to the left, you will see two of the lemon trees planted by the side of the detached garage (and one of the garden cats).
 |
| Back Yard: A bit to the left |
Look a bit to the right, and you will see the sidewall, with one of the curry leaf trees (closest to the back steps), the bottle brush tree behind it, and the orange tree behind that (I think, if you click on the pictures, you'll be able to see things a bit bigger).
 |
| Back Yard: A bit to the right |
I have been making it a point to walk around the back yard on an almost daily basis, observing the changes from day to day, week to week.
The yellow chrysanthemum plant under one of the lemon trees is doing its own version of an Ikebana flower arrangement, reminding me that the goal of Ikebana flower arrangements it to imitate nature:
 |
| Mother Nature's Ikebana Arrangement |
When some of my rose bushes died, the hardier root stock they had been grafted to managed to survive and, not only survive, but, thrive! Which is probably why they were chosen as the root stock for the more finicky tea roses. I allow them to grow and they send out long canes that reward me with clusters of no-name red roses!
 |
| Root Stock Roses! |
Nearby the white "iceberg" rose plant (which didn't do well in the front garden and was transplanted in the back, is doing well,:
 |
| Iceberg Rose starting to open up |
 |
| Iceberg Rose in full bloom |
As I took the photo of the iceberg rose in full bloom, something caught my eye:
 |
| Do you see it? |
Perhaps this is better?
 |
| White Spider |
I am not good at spider identification, but, I thought a white spider on a white rose was good camouflage!
Elsewhere in the back yard, there are spots of color:
 |
| Gazanias |
 |
| Hibiscus |
 |
| Pineapple Guava (Feijoa) |
This particular pineapple guava (also known as feijoa) tree provided me with an abundance of fruit, last year, and I made lots of jam which I gave as holiday gifts. I am hoping that I will get lots more fruits from this tree, again, this year, too. But, look who is taking a nap up in the branches above!
 |
| Snowball |
This is one of the garden cats that I've named Snowball (for obvious reasons). She loves to sleep in the trees.
The crocosmia flowers have all faded, but, their seed pods are a pretty color, right now. Eventually, they will turn orange and then, fall.
 |
| Crocosmia Seed Pots |
The bottlebrush (Callistemon) tree is starting to flower, too:
 |
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon) Flowers |
You can see the curry leaf tree just beyond the bottlebrush tree.
And, finally, the yucca cutting we planted a year or so ago has rooted itself and seems to be doing well. I think the asparagus fern likes it, too!
 |
| Yucca Plant Draped in Asparagus Fern! |
Hope you enjoyed the walk in the garden.
Thank you for taking us around your backyard. It's so lush a full with lovely plants. And it's private for you with all the mature plants and bushes along the wall which must make it nice for you.
ReplyDeleteSnowball is so funny sleeping in the trees! I remember another picture of him doing that. lol
Thank you, Debra. All the rain we've had has really helped with making the garden look green. Later, in the summer, a lot of it turns brown, unless I water, which runs up my utilities bill! Yes, part of the reason why I planted all those trees and bushes around the walls was to provide some privacy. When I first bought the house, there was just one side wall. The back and the other side had chainlink fences. The walls were built later. The neighbors at the back have an upstairs house which allows them to look into my backyard, so, I am happy that the trees block some of it. Not that there is anything to hide, but, I will occasionally go into the backyard in shorts and a tank top in the summer, whereas I will always wear a skirt and a blouse over them to go to the front garden! LOL!
DeleteIf I had a garden like yours, I'd be doing walkabouts as well. I was very surprised how large your back garden is; but if I had thought about it, I should have known based on the number of different trees you have planted. I now understand why your friend M is so invaluable to you. That would be way too much garden for one person to look after. Watering all those plants would be a full time job. No wonder you appreciate all those rainy days you had this Spring. Thank you again for inviting us on a tour of the back garden. It's just so lovely and calming.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Yes, I would have a hard time managing without M to mow and prune and weed, etc. It takes me almost 1 1/2 hours to water the backyard by hand, but, fortunately, I have sprinklers to help me with the watering. I just handwater the areas the sprinklers don't reach.
DeleteThank you for inviting us to walk around your garden. It's much bigger than I was expecting it to be. I can appreciate M's efforts, and yours of course, in keeping it looking so tidy.
ReplyDeleteM gets all the credit for keeping the place tidy, Eileen. He just mowed the "lawn" which is actually a mixture of grass and weeds, on Friday. Otherwise, it was looking a bit unkempt! I should do more weeding of the flower beds, but, haven't!
DeleteWow, you have such pretty garden, my dream! And I already told you how I wish to have beautiful fruit trees one day, such a blessing. Have a lovely day, stay safe and healthy☺
ReplyDeleteThank you, Natalia. Yes, I remember you saying you wished to have fruit trees, one day. I hope you will be able to have them, too. Hope you and your family are keeping well, too. Take care.
DeleteYou have a lovely garden Bless. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne. It's very kind of you to say so. :)
Delete❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Regine. Hope all is well with you.
DeleteOh wow ... your yard is just a treat!! Ours can only be described as a complete mess ... I am ashamed of what I see in every direction- it's like walking through swampland with strange weeds/plants I've never encountered before- there were more days of pouring down rain again last week, so that means the ground is still to soggy to walk through- getting out to the pastures is almost an adventure, and we've moved the mare and her sweet new baby into a more elevated area to making feeding and caring for them a bit easier-
ReplyDeleteYour sweater is wonderful- I've looked forward to seeing that beautiful color in a finished piece-I seem to have something unfinished everywhere I look- I am never very monogamous about projects, but this might be a record even for me-over the weekend I decided that Kailyn's dolls needed new wardrobes, so now I have added several things for her to the pile-I think I am going to have to get myself in gear and quit all the dilly-dallying!
Paige continues to do even better than her doctors expected, but the news from Whitney is sad- she is at least getting pain relief, but her days are coming to and end- All of us who love her are happy that her precious son can be with her and that hospice service is providing such wonderful care for her- Please continue to remember her-
Take care- it's getting a bit hard to remember all this will end someday ... I hope the kindness people are showing remains- I stay thankful you are being able to stay safe-
As always, fondest wishes-
Barb
Thank you, Barb. Just wait till you see my strip of side yard - I am calling it a meadow! LOL. The weeds are so high, you can't even see the one or two plants growing there!
DeleteThank you, re. the sweater, too. I wore it, yesterday. :) I am sure Kailyn's dolls will appreciate their new wardrobe, whenever you get around to making them.
I fully understand why you are unable to complete any projects at this particular time, Barb. I think you need to give yourself a little leeway. This is such a difficult time for so many of us and it has to be even more difficult for you. I am glad that Paige is continuing to do well, but so very sorry about Whitney's update. I do and will continue to keep her and all of you in my prayers. I'm glad they are making her as comfortable as possible and her son is there with her. Be gentle with yourself and take it easy as you go through this period of saying goodbye to your daughter, even if it is being done long distance. (((HUGS)))
You have a lot of beautiful plants/trees! I did enjoy my "walk" in your garden...thanks! Andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. You are welcome to walk in my garden while the snow covers yours. :)
DeleteI love love love your backyard. It’s so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI like your circular flower beds. I think I’ll copy your idea. 😁
Thank you, Nil. Now, imagine it with almost 100 rose bushes all in bloom! That's what I had growing in those circular beds and all along the back and side walls. I still miss the garden I used to have. The circular beds were my mother's idea! She liked them better than plain old squares and rectangles! LOL.
DeleteSnowball looks so sweet. I love your garden; it's really thriving. I wish I could grow pineapple guavas here. I tried, but the fruit was so tiny. They do better in your area, I think.
ReplyDeleteShe does, doesn't she? Thank you; our recent rains really helped. The pineapple guava trees were here when I bought the house. This is the only tree that produces any big fruit. One other tree died and we cut it down, last year. The last tree almost died, but, it seems to be doing OK, this year. Probably needed more water than it was getting, but, its fruits are small, too.
DeleteI can see what a difference the rain has made to your backyard, it looks the way it is meant to be! Thank you for sharing all your lovely flowers and trees with us, also those two garden cats and the white spider!
ReplyDeleteWell, I mentioned yesterday that it was dull and raining, with no idea what was coming in the afternoon. It actually snowed quite enthusiastically for nearly an hour! But the weather made up for it today. It hasn't been warm but the sun shone all day and I made two pleasant trips up the road to the mailbox, one to mail a card and another in the afternoon to see if the mail lady had left anything in our box. DH was busy log splitting and stacking wood and was happy to have some homemade soup for lunch. This evening I Skyped with granddaughter who was looking for a story about how we ended up in Canada, for a school project.
Yes, the garden looks a bit different when there has been rain, doesn't it? I took a tour of the front garden, today, but haven't posted those pictures, yet.
DeleteSnow! Oh, my! I'm glad the weather made up for it with sunshine, today. :) I'm sure your granddaughter was very interested to hear your story, Bushlady. I remember my daughter doing a similar project when she was in high school - might have been in Grade 9?
My goodness, you have such beautiful things in your back yard! I think Snowball is my favorite, though! I have never seen a white spider in my life!! I love your lemon tree!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mandy. I almost didn't see the spider at first, until it moved! Hope all is well with you and your family and loved ones.
DeleteIt's lovely out there, I'm not surprised you enjoy spending your time in the garden.
ReplyDeleteSnowball is gorgeous, perhaps she thinks she's a bird. X
Thank you, Jules. I do like spending time in the garden, especially these days. I think I need to rename Snowball to Rock-a-bye Baby, because she's always sleeping in the tree tops!
Delete