The lay of the land at Redwoodshire is pretty neat, in that it's surrounded by 2 streams flowing around the entire property. We are also surrounded by lots of marshland- which is not ideal, as the Laird would prefer woods or usable space. I don't mind the marsh because it feels like an added measure of separation from the surrounding bike path that runs down the East side of Redwoodshire.
We recently decided to cut down some of the reeds near our flower beds, as a way to be able to see the stream flowing past the barn. The dead reeds have a way of looking very messy this time of year.
One really cool thing about living on very old property (house was build in 1860), is that there are lots of old things that can be re purposed and reused. Behind our garage was a stacked pile of bricks and pavers. I decided they would serve perfectly to build a little pathway to the stream- helping to keep the weeds and new reeds from growing up.
Brick by brick, I loaded up as many bricks as I could push in our garden cart and brought them down to the stream. It was hard work, but very fun to make a dreadful area look better.
After a few attempts to get the right pattern, and make use of every brick I could find, we now have a little brick path & patio beside this little portion of our stream. Lady genevieve absolutely loves it, as she can sit in her little chair right next to the stream and pretend to fish or just watch the water go by.
I was slightly discouraged by the deer eating my flowers out back, and pretty much gave up on my "Flower Hill" vision. The reason I planted/ transplanted the plants to that hill last year, was that it was the sunniest area on our property and I wanted to grow some sun-loving plants for a change (we've always had lots of shade and very minimal sun at our previous house). Unfortunately, the hill is too far from the house, and the deer seem to think it's their garden of treats. Though I didn't dig everything up that I had transplanted there (I left the poppies, irises, 1 hydrangea, and day lilies), I moved the delphinium, 1 hydrangea & the Shasta daisy to my new little garden area by the stream. The Laird is quite skeptical about how well the plants will do in this new area because of how swampy and wet it will be in early Spring- but I feel as though it takes trying plants in various locations to figure out where they growth the best- and sometimes it's a learning process. So only time will tell if these plants will be suitable for this new spot by the stream. I also transplanted some Sedum and Lamb's Ear from shadier spots near the house, as I read that they do best in full sun. The wetness of the soil may not be idea, but we will see what happens.
To build this brick garden path and patio properly, would have required more materials, knowledge and time. For our purposes, it didn't need to be anything perfect or special. This was was just a little project I thought would improve the area once I realized how much better it looked cleared. It definitely gives us a cute little area to relax and enjoy. Another bonus is that by utilizing that old pile of bricks behind the garage, a previously messy area now looks just a little bit better.
Today the Laird put on his Muck Boots to dig around in the stream and build up a small cascade in order to make the stream louder. The little enjoyments of life. There is so much potential to build this area up into something beautiful. And in time, I am sure it will become just that. This little area has potential to become more like what we see in the "Better Homes & Gardens" magazines.
