Works in Progress...

Here's a few "blank canvasses" that have been underway this fall. Unfortunately, I don't have the before-the-before shots for all of them: just the neat n'tidy bare soil gradually getting planted up. This belies the hours and hours of work required to create that nice neat n'tidy and well-defined blank canvas. It's such a feeling of accomplishment that, where other people see "mud" (one obviously unconscious passer-by actually made that comment!!) I prefer to admire the clean slate for a while.

Here's Sandra and Don's front rock wall--after the removal of 30-year-old junipers (a machine clawed them out and left plenty rubble for us to fine tune.) Just finished planting it up with pinky-red azaleas, white heather, rockgarden dianthus from the neighbour, purple heucheras, purple-black euphorbias, blue-green Podocarpus (that's a spready evergreen), purple-leafed berberis...and saving a space for the lovely feature of the show: a Hakuro-Nishiki willow--the one with white and pink variegation. In spring (phase two), we'll deal with the bottom boulevard. You'll just have to visualize, because the teeny new plants hardly showed up in the "after"photo so I deleted it. OMMMM.

And next we have Susan and George's White Cliff of Eagle Island garden--this was another missed before-before shot because the cliff was covered in ferns and salal until a burly cliff-clearing crew got at it. Then suddenly rock walls appeared and barges of crushed granite and soil and bark mulch arrived, and we (Mike and I) appeared on the scene in time to truly appreciate the lovely blank slate. And fill it up with aucubas-and-maples-and-skimmias-and-Hako-grasses- and-climbing-hydrangea-and-hardy-fuchsias-and-hostas and and and. Pending on plant availability in spring. So I'll update the photos when I can get a nice shot. (I usually do "after" shots about 2 years later, so this entry is mainly for the "blank slate appreciation day." Or minute.)

Again, visualize with me: OMMM.

And here we have a portion of Nick and Terry's back garden (was a "yard"--now a "garden"). This was fun, because I love big old stumps and there's a big old stump. Nick was building decks and arbours (and has yet to install a waterfall), one step ahead of my barrows of soil and loads of plants. So I don't expect you to truly appreciate the last (unfinished) shot of the planting; suffice to say, it'll be great. Trust me. OMMM. We will resume in spring.

Oh, there were more projects but sometimes it just doesn't translate into photos well--I think I need some 3-D technology so I can walk through a space with accompanying birdsong (hello Cheryl: youtube). O ya--but give me the winter to come to terms with the next great leap in technology. I've only just discovered DVDs this year. Not kidding. 'Scuse me, gotta watch a movie...