The Making Of Our Garden

13 Jul The Making Of Our Garden

Well hello!  I have a big garden reveal coming up in the next couple of weeks, but I thought it might be helpful to show you where we started, and what has transpired over the last nearly three years since we started this project!

I think people are afraid of gardening because they are 1. worried they are going to kill things, or 2. they think they have a black thumb, or 3. it just seems like a lot of work.  Well, the answer to number 1 is “you will”, my response to number 2 is “it’s all a learning process”, and number 3…well, it can be.  If you go into it with the mindset of “this is a trial and error process”, I think you will be much better off.  But just like with most things, a good plan is a great place to start.

When we moved into our house, we loved this space (pictured below) for a future garden, but before we could get started, we needed to do other things to the house like put on a roof and have working bathrooms, haha.  This is the earliest photo I could find of the proposed garden – it is from July 2012.  You can see the chainlink fence butts into the tall wood fence.  (which was not aesthetically pleasing)  You can also see lots and lots of weeds.

July 2012

It really is a shame it was in such bad shape, especially after we heard that in the 1920’s and 30’s, this space was a lovely rose garden that people would stop by and see.  Apparently, it had quite the reputation!  The previous owners of our home used the area as a dog yard of sorts, so it looked like…a dog yard.

If you have been following this site for a long time (as in since the beginning), you may remember me talking about the space as my “Dream Project”.

July 2012

We tossed around some different ideas and plans and finally began the work in November of 2013.  The first order of business was to remove the chainlink fence and replace it with a fence of matching height.  Since the wood looked different (old vs. new), we decided to paint it all charcoal grey.  I thought painting the wood coupled with plants would help hide the difference in the two fences.  The ground was also tilled, the ancient laundry pole removed, and all the weeds were taken out.

November 2013

This area had a non-functional sprinkler system most likely installed in the 1940’s so that was all removed, and a new sprinkler system was installed. (we used drip irrigation in the outlying beds and sprinkler heads in the raised beds – drip irrigation saves water and is more cost effective!)  The plan was to create two large raised beds and a patio space for a dining table and chairs.

November 2013

In the next photo, you can see on the right a cost effective solution (much cheaper than wood fencing) for hiding the air conditioner, sprinkler box, and other outdoor items we need to store.  We bought those old gates at my favorite local salvage store/yard, and after support was added, they provided a very nice screen for unsightly items.

November 2013

The gates even came painted the same color as our fence!  It was uncanny how perfectly the color matched!

I feel like I need to take a moment here and thank Robbie Young from Mansfield Landscape & Sprinkler for all of his hard work on this space.  Many of these jobs that were the basic foundation of the space were out of my husband and I’s realm of expertise, and he was so diligent and easy to work with.  Highly recommend, thanks Robbie!

Shortly after we finished the garden space, and had a few plants in the ground, we got a crazy Texas ice and snow storm.  It was kind of a bummer because we ended up losing a lot of plants.  (we are not used to that kind of weather here)

December 2013

But by January 2014, things had perked up a bit.  The garden was still pretty bare bones, but it was still winter time, and we knew we would get more plants in the ground in the spring.

January 2014

January 2014

In April of 2014, we got right to work.  Last year was our first real garden experience in this house.  It was a ton of work planting and planning and researching, but it was fun, too.  We involved the kids in the raised beds planting, and they really enjoyed it.  (my husband, my dad, the green thumb of the family, and myself planted most of the plants in the main beds)

April 2014

April 2014

This next set of pictures makes me laugh, I basically had a baby on my back the entire time I was planting this yard!

April 2014

It really helped the kids to see how this was supposed to work by setting the plants out first.

April 2014

Then it was time to plant and water.

April 2014

April 2014

April 2014

I will never get tired of dimply baby hands!

We also have our kids keep garden books to map out where we placed plants, and what we have in the ground.  It is helpful for them to learn about plant placement and variety, but it is also beneficial because we forget. : )  It aids us in knowing what worked and what did not.

By June of 2014, the plants were getting fuller, and it was starting to look like a legit garden area.

June 2014

The raised beds were really producing (Robbie brought in some great healthy soil!), and we were seeing the fruit of our labor.

June 2014

Along with vegetables, herbs, and lettuce, I also planted a couple of areas for perennial flowers such as hydrangeas, black eyed susans, daisies, and my favorite, peonies.

June 2014

June 2014

Slowly, we figured out what thrived, and what did not, how often we needed to water, what needed more water and what needed less.

June 2014

Before we knew it, it was winter again. (and we had another strange, crazy snow storm)

March 2015

This Spring/Summer (2015), the garden is looking better than ever!  We have added a variety of plants (and decor!), and as plants have filled out, we have gotten a much better idea of what we want the space to feel like.  The big reveal will be this week, but for now, here is a sneak peek!

Quite a journey, right?  Our garden has come a loooooong way in the past three years, I cannot wait to show you everything!

I hope you enjoyed the history of the space (which made for a lengthy article, ha), and I will keep you updated on when the reveal is live on Domino Magazine’s website!

(In case you do not follow me on Instagram, I announced recently that I am now a Style Influencer for Domino Magazine!  It is such a honor, and I am really excited to be a part of a publication that GREATLY influenced me when I was first getting my feet wet in the design world.)

I am still freelancing so you will see me in other arenas also, but by subscribing to this blog (see box in the right sidebar), or by following me on Facebook, or Instagram, you should be able to keep up with where my work/projects are popping up.

Thank you for reading, as always.  Happy Gardening!

(also, I would love to hear your gardening victories/hiccups – it is such a learning curve!)