Creating a Pocket of Peace in the Garden

From lawn and marsh to beauty

Today we ’re visiting Nancy Ridenour ’s garden in Ithaca , New York .

When I moved into this abode in 1973 , it had very few gardens . The front yard had some established trees , and the backyard was a level lawn with a marsh and cattails . Over the age , I transformed the chiliad into my own work of art that I call my “ pouch of peace . ” The yard is only 100 by 400 feet , but it has transformed into something unique that mouth of a garden much larger .

In 1980 , I had the swimming pool fill in , using soil dug from the marsh in the backyard . The pool was directly behind the family and in disrepair . Over the years , I amended that garden with several perennial , some shrub , bulbs , and two walk from I. F. Stone see around the holding . I also added two large sculpture to the garden that I made from flexile fuzz tubing . Some failure included not maintain up with the changing lite conditions , resulting in plants such asclematisnot doing well . The squirrel consumed most of thetulipbulbs , so I lost many . I had ordered many parrot tulip bulbs from Holland and have only a few left . Very expensive meals !

I had the pond re - dug and sculpted , which produce a large pool and three berm that gave the G a unique topography . This photo show a wide view of one of the berms .

The formation of shoulder lent interest to the backyard and allow for more plantings than would have been possible in the original mat yard . One ground for the pool digs was to remove cattail that competed with the lotus . This year , I had to have more digging because the foreign-born yellow flag take over the edge of the ponds and started to compete with the lotus . I postulate to keep better look on as to what plant is taking over the others in the garden .

About 20 age ago , I plant six lotus plants(Nelumbo nucifera , Zones 4–8 ) in the pool . There are now over 500 plants that flower in the summer and provide a destination for many garden go . I was introduced to the lotus while living in Laos , so find it growing in Ithaca was a real treat .

Lotus is my favorite flower in the gardens and have me great pleasure to watch and to snap . It has been the major subject for my work .

In the backyard , I transformed a section of the lawn into a Zen garden , with gravel and a sculpture , along with a concrete bench . One loser has been that I did not treat any of the copper color , and some pieces oxidise to a black patina .

A daylily(Hemerocallisfulva , Zones 3–9 ) blooming on one of the shoulder . Since I grew up in a florist family , I have been gardening since my teen year . Gardens were a strong focus for 4 - H projects . My present gardens have been a rattling association to my past times and my phratry . Over the twelvemonth , the garden has been my aesthetic construction with both plants and artwork .

Have photos to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular ingathering of plants you have it away , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to chatter !

To submit , transmit 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the works in the pictures and where you took the photos . We ’d make love to hear where you are place , how long you ’ve been garden , successes you are majestic of , failures you get word from , hope for the future tense , best-loved plants , or shady stories from your garden .

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