the courtyard: in progress and complete!

First of all, thank you so much for all of your support and house-love regarding the Renovation Style magazine shoot!  I can't tell you what your kind comments and emails have meant to me.

the courtyard...

If you'll recall from the last post on the courtyard, this is what the space looked like with the addition of the iron "planter."

Dan then added a stone border around the perimeter.

Big Blue and Dan leveled the terrain.

The iron planter was returned to the courtyard and planted with the Maiden grass.  A vintage armillary sphere (a gift from our dear next door neighbors in Dallas when they moved away) was added in the graveled ac bed behind the planter which will eventually be hidden by the Limelight hydrangeas that were planted between the planter and the house to hide the air conditioners.

Some floats were added- copper and fishing.  You don't see these until you step into the courtyard.  I like a garden to reveal itself as you pass through it instead of seeing everything all at one time.

 

 


Several rolls of grass have been laid in this photo.  Ahhhh.... progress!

This is the "living room bed" (we name everything!) that blooms all-white.  Again, the bare soil will be laid with sod.  Under the bay windows on the right (the living room) are three Annabelle Hydrangeas which will grow to 5 feet (hence the space between them.)  They are an old fashioned mop-head Hydrangea which are often seen around antique homes.  The tall tree on the left of the bed are white Lilacs which were already here at the house.  I thinned them out some as they were a bit out of control.  Plants were planted with a bit of space between them, but once full grown they will fill the bed.  Several of the "empty" spots in this bed are waiting for ferns, but ferns haven't made a big appearance at the nurseries here yet.  I'm trying to be patient!!

 I came back outside after getting us some water, and Dan told me he had left me a "note"..... the heart shaped rock on the left was waiting for me on this larger rock!  The next day I found a similar heart rock and left a "note" for him!
The large rock is surrounded by Liriope, white Bleeding Heart Aurora, and Icicle Speedwell and white Petunias (I've since also added white green-leaf begonias;)

While I was taking photos I realized I hadn't shown you my orb!!   I love this vintage iron orb- it moved with us from Dallas!  I bought it at the Canton Flea Market in Canton, Texas for $50!  It originally had a iron dutch oven hanging from the center of it (which we removed;)  This puppy is big, about 4 feet in diameter, and to get it home we had to strap it to the top of the SUV and drive 30 miles an hour the whole hour and a half it took to get back to Dallas!  We looked like we were trying to communicate with aliens!

In Dallas it was in the backyard path-garden as an object de art... a huge topiary sphere!  It was totally wrapped with variegated Wintergreen Euonymous- I had to cut it free to bring it with us.  The movers loved packing this baby... not!

 This is the view as you drive up the gravel driveway to the house, note the orb.  
(The first bed we designed and planted last Fall was the "front bed" and the stones under the front porch...  here )

Here at the farmhouse the orb actually has a job;  it is hiding the well-head.  It is planted with the same variegated Euonymous Wintercreeper and will eventually cover the orb.

You can see the little branches (and the tip of the well-head) being trained to grow around the orb.

And here is the finished courtyard!
I love the way that this once ugly, wasted space has turned into something so pretty!  It is especially pretty looking down on it from the second story windows.

once again....before




after!