A slow process

     Slowly, but surely, the project is moving along.  Adding shredded bark mulch really adds a finishing touch to the paths, shown in the first two photos.
     The path goes on the south side of the back of the property, between the new planting beds and an existing planting bed of Lamiastrum that understory Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum).  The last photos show the laying of the sandstone cobblestones (22 pound each, quarried in the 1880s) at the west end of the new planting beds.  At its end I made a low wall to match the grade change.

Moving right along...

     Nine years ago I collected thousands of cobblestones (for free) made of sandstone, quarried in western Wisconsin.  They were used for a loading dock along railroad tracks at a tannery, built in the 1880s.  I had about a thousand left for several years, so I used about 400 for walkways and the lining of perennial beds.
     The first photo shows the bed for Blue Fescue Grass.  The second is for Tufted Hair Grass.  The third shows the Aralia bed and to the west.  The fourth shows the Lady Fern bed and to the west.  The fifth shows the Kirengeshoma bed and to the west.  The last photo shows the Tufted Hair Grass bed and to the southwest.
     I don't know if I mentioned, but this was all a lot of work.  Luckily, most days the weather was perfect, in the 60s or low 70s.

Now...the fun part

     Putting down new sod is no fun.  But designing planting beds, walks, and other garden features is quite close to exciting.  As I said before, I feel like a kid in a candy store.
     My back yard is west of my house, so the new gardens shown are on the south and east sides of the new lawn. 
     The first two photos show azaleas and the groundcover Lamiastrum galeobdolon (Yellow Archangel).  The two grasses in the next two photos are Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue Fescue' and Deschampsia cespitosa 'Schottland' (Tufted  Hair Grass).  The last two photos are of Aralia cordata 'Sun King' (Golden Japanese Spikenard), along with Athyrium filex-femina 'Lady in Red" (Lady Fern).
     The yellow electrical cord marks where the cobblestones will mark the north side of the walkway, shown in a later blog.

 ...and in with the new.

     Finally, after lots of hard work, the new sod made for a nicer looking lawn.  First, I removed all the steel edging from the old, larger lawn to outline where the sod would go.  The new lawn is about a third smaller than the original, leaving lots of space to add perennial gardens and walkways.