Finishing up the fragrance garden...

This is one of those "aren't I amazing" posts. If you are like me, you probably don't find these quite as enthralling as the person who posted it apparently did, but because you've followed their garden you read through and have a pleasant comment like, "interesting" or "wow".  However, if you are the kind of person who does like to see things go from nothing to everything in two weekends or someone who does really nice garden projects and enjoys laughing (not to their face, of course) at the follies of people who try and fail to meet your pursuit of perfection, then you'll love this post.   

before the fun began...

a bit of rototilling.

little ones learning to love dirt!

The pathway is done, now where do these plants go?

At the end of last weekend...

Learning to build a paver patio! (the frame work)

Put the chairs over the flaws and no one will ever notice.

All finished! the view from our front door.

The view from the lawn.

From sitting down.

At night... notice the glas of wine about to be enjoyed on the chair! (i think i earned it)

We also had a few carrots and radishes growing to gargantuan size, so we picked them along with some lettuce and spinach that had begun to bolt. Our in-laws were blessed (or couldn't think of a polite excuse) with the extras. As long as everything keeps growing the way it is, we'll have a bit extra now to give to the neighbors.

More weekend fantastic, full, fickle, fragrance fun...

You may have guessed it from the title, but I'll still tell you. We are making progress. Between the late Friday hours and on to the late Sunday hours, I didn't get as much done as I wanted, but the yard does look different. It seems with every project that things are always different on paper, than in reality. For example the arbor seats we planned on were gone when we went to purchase and Fred Meyers wasn't planning on getting any more in. Also, the only Abelia we could find was not scented. Well, like McDonalds says, "When life gives you strawberries, make strawberry lemonade." Or like R W Emerson once said, "For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else." Or to put it another way, we lost Abelia and gained Sarcocca and lost an arbor but gained (after we get my mother in law to come up and make it) a paver patio for some chairs!
The writer chappies put thing so succinctly.
Here are a few pictures, it doesn't look finished, and that is only because it isn't. However, it will make for lots of fun the next week or so.

Before

Watching Dad work, and feeding the baby

work in progress

Mostly about memorial day weekend...

I hope everyone had a long and enjoyable weekend. There is nothing like a three day weekend for getting all of those projects that you know you should do, but never have the time for. It is also good for relaxing in case anyone did that. If you read my last post, you know I am planning a fragrant garden right now, so there was a bit of research and shopping to do. Also, there were a few parts of our yard that had been overrun in the last month. Things around here seem to have noticed that it isn't winter anymore and are growing like crazy. The weeds are trying to double their size overnight - and succeeding! I won't bore you with the details, but there was some weed whacking, mowing, digging, planning, weeding, shoveling, poisoning, and playing. All lots of fun!
The roses are all just about to bloom. A few have poked their heads out ahead of time, but they will all be in bloom by the end of the week. Right now is a very fun time if you are an avid rose gardener because there is flower proof of all of the love and fertilizer you have been putting into them. I added a few roses this year so they are a little behind the rest, but seem to be coming along nicely.

I also added a rustic wisteria trellis to the other side of our porch as it always tries to climb everything it can. (I've tried to kill it for the last two years, but like some one who might have been wise once said, "if you can't beat them, join them." So not we are going to let it grow) Here are five simple steps if you want to make one like it. 

1) plant a butterfly bush approximately 10 years ago.

2) let it grow, and grown, and grow until nice thick canes are there, then have an ice storm that kills half of the bush.

3) cut the dead branches into relatively straight pieces.

4) tie or screw the branches to each other

5) feel satisfied that you didn't spend any money and it has that rustic feel!

Last of all, here is a list of what we are going to have in our fragrance garden. Feel free to stick your oar in if you feel like there is a need.

Korean lilac.    

Mock orange (tall).     

Ludwig spaeth lilac.  

Sensation lilac

Bloomerang purple lilac. 

Charles Joly Lilac

Skimmia.  

Carol mackie daphne.     

Summer ice daphne       

Daphne adora.      

Harlequin glory bower         

Black negligee actaea.  

Chaste tree.      

Pink dawn viburnum

Bridal bouquet abelia. 

Heliotrope   

Winter sweet    

Sweet box. 

Stoppable ground cover -Corsican mint or thyme

Star jasmine

Honey suckle 

I wanted to see how it would all look, so I taped it out with painters tape (we had some extra, emphasis on had) To me it look great. I can see each bush, plant, and bench and even start to smell some of the fragrance. To our neighbor, it looked more like I was loosing my mind. He got quite a quizzical look on his face and said, "What is that supposed to be?" I just answered it is my new garden! At least he'll have a good story to tell his friends at work. 

More weekend fun...

This weekend started off gorgeously.

But mighty Nature bounds as from her birth;

The sun is in the heavens, and life on earth:

Flowers in the valley, splendor in the beam,

Health on the gale, and freshness in the stream.

Lord Byron

So it was a good day for harvesting!

Morning dew on the grass.

The Large things are beets, to the right is red and green leaf lettuce and spinach.

radishes ripe for the picking.

Pac Choi that seems to think it too hot to grow normal.

We caught a nice grub in the middle of its breakfast.

Lots of delicious edibles, now we just need to figure out what to do with the beets. Due to an ... well some sort of problem in her upbringing, my wife has never ventured far into the culinary fields. So beets have never been on the menu. I have never cooked them myself, so we have a slight problem. It's like long ago when George Washington Carver told everyone to plant peanuts to help out their fields, but then when the peanuts abounded, no one knew what to do! Well, we aren't quite so bad off because out neighbors like them and actually know what to do! A third to one, a third to another, and now the problem is manageable. My mom also sent us some recipes and you tube provided a few more ideas. We'll try one a night this week and see if we replant, or just plan on giving the rest to friends (of course we'll pretend we grew them just for them!)

On such a sweet day and with the latest Fine Gardening in hand, it is impossible not to think of what the next area of improvement will be. If you get this magazine, there is an article on making a smelly garden! or as they put it a fragrant pathway. I guess that does sound a little nicer. I am going to do my own version of this in the front yard near the front door so that we can have the nostril's delight come wafting into the house on nice days in spring, summer, and fall.

What I would appreciate, if you haven't just rushed off to start your own heavenly scented garden, (or fallen asleep reading my post) is to give me any recommendations you have on the below mentioned plants. Specific varieties for the PNW (majorly amended clayish soil, lots of rain, and zone 7-8) and even less specific will all be greatly appreciated. Also if you have any insider tips from the stable about care, planting, or even just success stories I would enjoy them as well. In advance, Thank You! (now you feel really obligated, I hope)

Daphne
Abelia
Harlequin
Chaste tree (this may be too large)
Viburnum
Wintersweet
Sweet box (this might need more shade than I can give it though)
Lilac
A steppable ground cover
Wisteria
Lilies of the valley (little ones to line the path)

Possibly also mock orange or choke berry.

These were a few ideas from the magazine...
Carol Mackie Daphne (I've heard Adora is supposed to be the most fragrant, but not seen it in action)
Bridal bouquet Abelia
Harlequin Glory Bower
Black negligee Actaea
Pink Dawn Viburnum
Miss Kim Lilac
Corsican mint ground cover

Hope your weekend was as pleasant, pleasurable, pleasing, playful, picturesque, and pretty as mine!