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This years gardens

I haven't posted in this group in a while. Just took a few pictures of the perrenial gardens at my place yesterday and thought I would share a few.

Front borders This view is looking toward the house from near the street.

Looking at the house and gardens from the South.

Looking at gardens from the East side.

new gardens Just recently finished building this office/studio for my wife. These gardens, along with the firepit and stone walkway are brand new; not quite so jungle like yet.

edge of woodland This view is from the North, looking back toward the new gardens along the edge of our little woodland.

looking into the woodland Looking into the little woodland.

Gunnera and viburnam Some of the vegetation at the North end of the pond. The large leaves in the foreground are Gunnera and the white blooms are my favorite Viburnam.

I like the Viburnam so much I thought I'd add a better shot of it.

cherries Quick shot of one of our cherry trees. Looks like we're going to get a good crop again this year.

pond The pond from the Southwest corner.

Okay. That was the last picture in this series. I hope I haven't bored you. We call our little 1.3 acre property Paradise. Every time we leave we can't wait to get back. We've owned this property for 11 years. When we bought it there were a few big old trees, a very funky old farmhouse (marginal but with good bones) and no gardens. During the time we've owned it we've completely rebuilt the house (lucky that I spent three decades as a builder), dug the large pond, added a green house, developed a 6000 square foot vegetable garden and developed large amounts of perrenial borders and woodlands. Oh yes, I also built the studio/office for my wife.

Thanks for looking.

David Helm, Inspector, Helm Home Inspections Bellingham, Washington Licensed Home Inspector #272 WSDA Licensed Structural Pest Inspector #69844 http://www.helmhomeinspections.com HelmHomeInspections@yahoo.com

Posted by David Helm, Bellingham, Wa. Licensed Home Insp on 05/29/2008 11:55 AM

Comments (21)

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21 Comments on This years gardens

MAY

2008

WOW absolutely DELICIOUS, FABULOUS, GLORIOUS and I would have to agree: PARADISE! I hope to have gardens as lovely as yours someday

Thanks for sharing David

David - Lots of TLC went into your beautiful estate. Are you forgetting to show us somethng else? Think hard...has to do with running water outside.

Patti, Thank you for the kind comments.

Carl, If you really want to see another picture of my outdoor shower I suppose I can take one and post it soon. It hasn't changed any since the last time I showed it though.

MAY

2008

David, it is a heaven. I understand why you miss it when you travel. It is so peaceful! You creating an amazing place.

MAY

2008

wow! These photos are really beautiful! They make me miss my years in Europe, where I lived in a totally different climate!!!

Wow David! Good to hear from you again and none of this is boring...beautiful what you have done with it!!! What a pleasant post! Thanks!

JUN

2008

David - I still have a picture from my blog. You should post it again; there are some new people that would enjoy seeing your outdoor shower which put mine to shame. You have a beautiful place

JUN

2008

OK Carl, here it is in all its glory! We've removed the shower curtain because they don't last out in the weather and we have created enough privacy that we don't need it. Bit of a rainy day today.

outdoor shower, Bellingham, Washington So Carl, you can tell Ceil that the towel is actually the same color as the french doors to the right.

JUN

2008

Now that's what I call a garden! It's so nice to be able to bring all these elements together and see the beautiful results.

David-That really is a beautiful space you have created.

David - If I were you I would never want to leave home. Glad you posted another picture of your outdoor shower for everyone to see.

Wow. Your garden is absolutely gorgeous. You also have a beautiful house. You seem to have done a lot of customizing with your place. Congratulations on a lovely property!

JUN

2008

Spectacular David! What an amazing idyllic natural estate you've created - the viburnum is very beautiful. I can see you would be happy to return home.

I live in town now, which I like, but used to enjoy my lovely gardens in the country.

JUN

2008

Chuck, thanks for the comment. When we bought this place 11 years ago, the house was marginal, there were some old trees and that was it. Since that time I have completely rebuilt/remodelled the house (doesn't look anything like it did before) and my wife, with my help developed the gardens. It took a major amount of work, but we are really getting to enjoy it now.

Pete, thank you.

Cindy, thank you. See the remarks to Chuck. . .ditto

Deborah, Hi, good to hear from you. Thanks for correcting my spelling of viburnum.

JUN

2008

David, just beautiful photo's! I love the firepit and the pond. What a lovely and peaceful oasis you've created!

JUN

2008

Wow, you sure have worked hard to achieve such gorgeous gardens, I have garden envy, for sure...thanx for sharing

Paradise sounds appropriate! Great job. Obviously a lot of time and love went into your property. I'm struggling to make things grow here in the mountains of Northern CA. Very short growing season with random snowstorms virtually any month of the year! Even the natives have their challenges!

Debbie, Thanks for stopping by. The firepit replaces a way less formal one that was difficult to cut around, and the pond has been there for seven years and has really naturalized.

Patrice, Yes it has been some hard work, but not beyond the abilities of any normally able person. Mostly it takes the desire and gumption to do it.

Tamara, Keep at it. I know that there are natives that thrive in your area. I really do love the Jeffery Pines. What great cones they produce.

Hi David--

Yes, there are great natives. I live along a creek, so I have wild roses and some things I haven't seen anywhere else in the area--and I don't know what they are because no one else has them! The jeffrey pines do produce great cones and also a lot of pollen, which I've become very sensitive too over the last few years. Allergies are a drag!

MAR

Your gardens are simply incredible. In Florida, I created extensive gardens as well but have only scratched the surface here in Knoxville but definitely plan on doing more. It is a real passion for me, as I can see it is for you also.

MAR

Hi Rich, Thanks for stopping by. There are some earlier posts showing specimen trees, vegetable gardens, and other aspects of our place. Hopefully I'll be posting some new ones this year. Changes are always happening.

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