Our garden began like this....

8 Jun '06 9:04 am

You have created something really special ,Goose.
There was similar challenges when we came here ,5 years ago .
When the house was built 25 years ago ,conifers were all the rage ,and the house was surrounded with them .By the time we had come ,they had grown enormous ,and as you commented ,totally shading the house !The original owner called in recently for the first time since he left ,and couldn`t believe they had been allowed to grow without pruning !
Smiley was terribly reluctant to cut down anything ,which I found frustrating .Son-in Law wanted to cut down Everything and start again ,but I`m glad we took our time thinking carefully .We eventually removed about 12 ,and found we had some lovely views ! I would never have had the fairy garden if we had cut down the huge cedar ,and it has cool shade in the Summer .Most of my garden is indeed in shade ,but there are many plants which enjoy those conditions .
Dixie.

8 Jun '06 6:36 pm

You sure started something, Goose! I've also looked for and found my aerial pics, and am writing something on them to be posted in due course.

I love to get the 'bigger picture' of a garden, and these shots sure help one! Well done Dixie!

8 Jun '06 10:04 pm

When we built the wall on the roadside we also had some steps built across from a fairly large area of grass in front of the house.Since then we have put in some retaining walls and trees etc. Around about this time we also put in the pond.

I think I'll let the pics tell the rest of the story. Very Happy

8 Jun '06 11:01 pm

My goodness Goose! Look at your spread! With the great sizes of your and Jack's places you could make fantastic B&B's on your properties...and sell package vacations whereby guests would spend a week at each place, flying between countries before returning home!
What wonderful settings they would be. Who wouldn't like THAT!
You, like Jack have suporb surroundings and the land itsself is open to so many possibilities....
Now Goose you just HAVE to keep us posted on your place, and share with us it's metamorphysis.
Remarkable.

9 Jun '06 12:12 pm

What an amazing story in pictures ,Goose !
You have gone 'with ' the land contour so that your garden looks as if it has always been there .I enlarged the pictures on my screen so that I could enjoy the beautiful ,skilful detail ---the invitation to wander along meandering paths ,such as the gate on the left peeping through the trees .And I love the placement of your conifers and flaxes around the pond -exactly as they should be featured to appreciate their texture and form and colour .
Dixie.

9 Jun '06 5:14 pm

I'd love to get some aerial pix of my garden. What a brilliant idea for a e.g. birthday present! Much, much nicer than the silly personalised plate my family keeps threatening me with (though it would spell M-O-O-S-E-Y). I think there's someone who sends little ballons up to take the pictures, has a business here. Balloon-cam seems a friendly way to do it, rather than hovering helicopters or low-flying planes for Rusty the dog to go crazy about.

9 Jun '06 7:27 pm

Do you get Hot Air Ballons over your place?
We are in the flight path of these balloons and Im not sure what Its like up there but the woosh sure upsets my animals down here. They say it is so quiet & peaceful up there, I have to wonder. Has anyone had the experience Question

9 Jun '06 8:46 pm

YEAH, YEAH.... the ariel pics!!!...That's the best idear yet! Sorry I forgot to mention them. I must be loosing myt mind. ..esp. the one with the overlay...Puhfik!

9 Jun '06 9:28 pm

Aerial pics look great! Goose, you have made a fabulous difference to the land you started with Very Happy

Love the pond!

oh, and Shade sure has that BC wisdom Wink

9 Jun '06 9:52 pm

Thankyou for your kind comments,I really enjoyed sharing these pics with you. Your idea of B&B sounds great Sjoerd Could possibly happen some day, but at the moment with both of us working full time, it doesnt really allow much time for cooking breakfasts and looking after guests as they should be looked after.
Dixie, As you said, yes we have tried our best to landscape with the contour of the land.We were lucky enough to be able to build the Pond in a natural gully where the winter creek ran through.What do you do with your 37 acres?
Do you run sheep or cattle? I cant see any animals in the pics .

Our garden began like this....

beginnings

Aerial photographs

House & Pond Gardens

Amazing

Aerial Pix

Balloons

The making of our Garden