Some views of the back garden

9 Mar '07 5:36 am

The back of our home faces east ,so gets the glorious morning sun - wonderful as I am an early morning person and get to see the sunrise every day .
I hunted in the early forums for an article I wrote a long time ago to carry on with ,but couldn't find it so excuse please if you've seen a couple of pictures before.
I am glad I took a couple of photos of when we first arrived here ,as it looks so different now.
Dixie.

9 Mar '07 5:40 am

Here is my beautiful sunrise ,looking towards the ranges which separate the Waikato area from the eastern coast of the North island
Dixie

9 Mar '07 5:53 am

Back to the photo with little Westie ,Lindy .
In the distance,the path goes down the steps to the lower level .The huge tree in the background is the cedar with three trunks which became the fairy garden -at that stage I didn't have a clue how to get it tidy .The rails had been painted with cheap fence paint -some cream ,as on the pergola ,and some black ,so I was in the process of scrubbing everything ,and painting it blue ,though the pergola I painted white.
Along the path going down from the house ,I painted dwarf agapanthus ,but have since moved them as I think they look better in odd clumps mixed with other plants.The garden bed became my rose garden ,but it is also full of oxalis ,which I constantly struggle with.
Dixie

9 Mar '07 7:08 am

I loved the garden story and your photos, dear Dixie! And it is the first time you mention here your ...pretty veg-garden!

9 Mar '07 9:42 am

Thank you for your encouragement Liza,
The first picture is looking from the general area at the back ,after we had put in the patio area ,and before we put edging around the vegetable garden .Smiley plants mustard in it for Autumn -Winter ,and digs it in spring -it puts nitrogen in the soil .I also put compost for the vegetables ,and don't spray.
The citrus trees are in the foreground ,grapefruit ,(or poor mans oranges) -they are delicious for summer drinks with no sugar needed .then mandarins then three varieties of oranges ,including the delicious tangelos In the distance is a huge chestnut tree -a bit of a pain being in the garden as the prickly things it drops are painful to stand on and impossible to mow when doing the lawn .
Dixie.

9 Mar '07 9:50 am

The original owners put the edging in -I didn't know it was there until I had cleared all the stuff away .
The wooden fence is the boundary between us and the farm next door .Beside the fence is my dahlia bed ,covered with sawdust in winter .The shed is beside a steep slope so you only see the top half .
In the foreground garden I now have roses .This is where Leander is now planted and was badly affected by neighbours spray last July .
Dixie

9 Mar '07 3:29 pm

You've made vast improvements in the garden. Beautiful!

I hope you had a word to the neighbours about their spraying and they offered to reimburse you for the damage done.

10 Mar '07 4:17 am

Wow Dixie, you certainly have made great improvements!

Tell me, is your chestnut tree a horse chestnut or sweet chestnut? If it's the latter, I'd be out there every day in autumn, hoping for one to fall and I'd roast them or put them in stuffing - yummy!! If it's a horse chestnut, surely the little ones enjoy playing with the conkers?

Little Lindy is so cute too! Very Happy

10 Mar '07 6:17 am

Continuing with the development of the back garden .The steps go down to the ground level ,and a lovely stone wall was landscaped when the house was first built .It curves around ,and most people would give anything to have such a feature ,so I appreciate it .
This is a before picture .From the fairy garden .The stone part of the wall curves around to the left out of the picture .After this photo was taken I scrubbed (hard work) the concrete walls and painted them white .Along the top I planted hydrangeas and native ferns ,and roses.
Dixie

10 Mar '07 6:44 am

And here is what I have been doing along the top of the wall .Hydrangeas .Around the circular path I generally plant different things each year.This year I have put two 'Mary Rose'permanently on each side of the little blue rails ,with white alyssum and blue and lavender pentstemon.Double pink bizzy Lizzies fill in gaps.
Under the pepper tree I have planted kniphofia ,and grasses and philadelphus ,and foliage plants .
Further along this grassy path is more work developing -I have taken a before photo and will continue in a few months .
Dixie

Some views of the back garden

Some views of the back garden

Sunrise

extra info

continuing

back of house

continuing

progress