the terrace wall bed

So.... here's one of the too-many-to-count exterior projects we've been working on this summer.   It's not complete, but I thought you might like to see what we've been up to just in case you were thinking we've been sitting in the barn room eating bonbons!
This is the "terrace wall bed."  The dry-stacked stone wall was built during the barn renovation several years ago.  This area is seen as you drive up the gravel driveway that leads to the garage (which is under the barn room.)  The last couple of years we've been landscaping areas on the front of the house and at the road, so up until this spring I really never gave this area any attention.  Every time I thought about designing this area I drew a blank.  We constantly use the granite steps coming down from the terrace, so I knew that we needed to extend the path somehow, but again I was focused on other areas and just couldn't "see" it, so I decided to save this project for this year.
The wall itself has two tiers for planting.  We planted the river birch almost two years ago.

Earlier this spring I finally came up with how I wanted this area to look and the design.  It started with a boxwood lined path down from the large granite steps. I have several varieties of boxwoods in different beds on the property and I really like the Green Velvet boxwood.  I chose this variety as what I wanted to use to line the path.  Several days later at Costco (of all places) what did I find, but Green Velvet boxwoods!  I had to make two trips one morning to get all 27 home (also planted some in pots)! 

Dan and big blue then prepped the area. 

Love a clean slate.

We contemplated using antique bricks that were removed from the dining room chimney during the renovation, but we worried we didn't have enough and Dan really wanted to use antique cobblestones, so we did.

The large pile of dirt behind Dan is "screened" top soil that we have delivered, and then the small pile is the "good dirt", as we call it, that has been amended for planting.  We've always mixed our own dirt (here and in Dallas) when landscaping and I think that is a big factor in our success rate with new plantings.  (Let me know if you're interested and I can do a post on our mix and planting process.)

The walkway follows the same curvature as the granite steps leading down from the terrace.

I initially thought I would use gravel for the path, but with the stone wall, the cobblestone edge, the gravel drive... it was just too much stone, and we decided to lay grass between the cobbles. 

Our gardening assistant!  Couldn't do it without her;)  Notice the trees behind Ella.  I've been obsessed with wonky trees lately, and these will come into play a bit later.

But wait....  having gardening A.D.D., Dan mentioned the idea of lining the edge of this front bed with stones as a way to keep the bark mulch out of the gravel drive.  I realized I did have enough old bricks for this project and, of course, it then needed to be done immediately!  Do you experience gardening A.D.D. too?!  For the record;) I laid all these bricks.... just sayin'!

 

Back to the terrace wall....  the boxwoods placed for planting.

One side planted!  You can also see that the tier-beds on the wall are slowly (as I find plants) being planted.  They are all perennials in white, blue, light pink, purple and sage colors.

If you're in southern New Hampshire, Dan highly recommends Tim's Turf in Litchfield for grass. After ordering, the grass is literally cut and rolled from the field the night before you pick it up (as opposed to Home Depot's or Lowe's where it bakes in the sun for days;)  The price and quality are both far better than HD/Lowe's also.  Tell Tim, Dan sent you!

The cobbles at the gravel drive haven't been set yet, so that is why the grass isn't finished on this end.

Lest you think I only design, supervise and photograph)...  I am also the manual labor!  It was in the 90's on this planting day.

So, we still need to finish the grass, then between the boxwoods and the stone wall I want to plant Bombshell hydrangeas.  They stay small in height, so they won't hide the wall.  I need about eight to ten 1-gallon plants to fill the space, but can not find any.  (I did find 3-gallon ones for $40, but with the amount I need that's out of my budget.)  If you're in NH/MA/VT/ME and you run across any 1-gallons please let me know.  Will drive for plants!

Closeup of the perennials in the stone wall (prior to mulching.)

To the left of the boxwoods, three of my wonky trees:  Chamaecyparis obtusa Gracilis, or Hinoki False Cypress.  They will stop your eye from going straight ahead when you approach the garage area and guide your eye up the path and granite steps to the view beyond.

And since that project is almost complete, it lead to the next one....  Last weekend we went for a drive to take a break from yard work and what did we do, but stop in a nursery (looking for the bombshell hydrangeas) and found some gorgeous Canadian hemlocks to plant along the inside of the meadow at the road (think winter privacy.)  They're large, so it entailed renting a mini excavator to dig the holes.  It's 91 degrees today, and no one wants to be digging holes!  

I overheard Dan telling someone the other day that when it comes to the yard work, we don't have an "off" switch.

Soooooo true!
(I can see all of you nodding right now;)