The Sunken Garden

     I call this the Sunken Garden because it is about four feet lower than the garage that is adjacent to it.  There will be a lot of work going on here this season, starting with the replacement of the railroad ties making up the wall (they are rotting out since they were placed there in 1995).  At its base, I will build several mounds and put in some new plantings (as yet undecided).  Finally, the stockade fence that is on the south lot line was just replaced, and at its base the mounds will be reworked somehow (again, undecided as to details).  The octagon structure used to be a firepit, but now serves as a showcase for Colocasia escuelenta, or taro (often incorrectly called elephant ears, which is actually in the genus Alocasia, a close relative in Araceae, the Aroid family).  The tiny birdbath serves as a container for moss.

The rest of the front yard

    The last post showed the Hedgerow Garden, which is on the south side of the front yard, between the drive and the south lot line.  These photos show the rest of the front yard, mainly from the other side of the drive to the north lot line.

   I no longer have impatiens in containers, as is shown in several photos--due mainly to downy mildew.

   Photos two and three show the bluestone sidewalk, installed in 1970, then extended twice as far as the back of the right side of the house.

   Photos four and five show the cactus and succulent garden on the north side of the property, just off the lawn.  All the plants are in containers placed amongst the rocks, and I overwinter them in my basement.  Photo six shows a bit of the cactus garden in the lower left, and this view looks toward the Hedgerow Garden beyond the drive.

   The last four photos show the turnaround part of the drive.  The stockade fence is on the south lot line.  It was installed about 30 years ago and will be replaced in the next few weeks.  The last photo shows the entry to the Sunken Garden, which the next post will show.