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SOMETIMES A SMALL NOTION My new garden We have lived in our little valley within a valley for more than thirty years and our house and gardens have grown as our family grew. Now we are just two again. Somehow we still find the house too small, and the garden is still growing! In our back yard, facing north to the beautiful Beaufort mountain range, we had a ‘dead’ northwest corner. It was difficult to maintain and required a lawn mower and the weed eater to keep it trimmed. But the yard seemed out-of-balance with that unmoving corner. It was a good idea to transform that little corner into a flowing bright spot, but the planning was definitely the easy part. There was a small raised bed defining part of the border so we laid out a garden hose on the lawn and maneuvered it until we were content with the curves merging into the existing garden. That’s when the hard work began. All the sod had to be lifted. Wayne, my husband and volunteer for the heavy work, moved all the sods. He was also the one who knew where the sprinkler system lines were, and discovered the pop-up head in that corner. Wayne’s lawn tractor and trailer came in very handy for moving a yard and a half of top soil to this area at the back. We also hauled several trailer loads of compost (a mixture of chicken manure, vegetation and fine sawdust) from our bins by the barn. We added six bags of aged steer manure for good measure and then Wayne tilled it in until the soil was completely mixed. The garden area was given definition with plastic edging. My plan had been to brighten the corner but also improve the ease of mowing the grass. So far, so good. We added two large trellises along the north and west fence. This would give the Don Juan climbing rose plenty of room to grow as well as the Duchess of Edinburgh clematis on one side of the trellis, and Blue Boy clematis on the other. Already my colors in the garden were beginning to develop. I knew I wanted the area to be bright. The daylilies were split and moved. As they bloom I’ll tag them and they will probably by moved next year. My Geoff Hamilton rose was also moved to this garden. I added dark red gladiolas, dark blue delphiniums and some blue Grace’s Wort. Then I filled in empty areas with blue sapphire lobelia, red geraniums and assorted non-stop begonias. I wanted the area to feel somewhat private so we planted a pink flowering dogwood in the small raised bed, planted lavatera along the south-facing side of the new area and stood back to have a look. It still seemed to be missing something. And that’s when the plan for mowing ease took a turn. I discovered an arched gate. Wayne assembled it and we placed it at an angle close to the hydrangea plant. My sister had given me a small Chilean Glory Vine and a yellow climbing rose, called ‘Grandma’s Angel’. We planted these on each side of the gateway. This new addition to the back yard will be like a private space where we can rest as we either work in the garden or just pause to enjoy the blooms and the quiet. Now I’m thinking about a garden bench, something Wayne will have to pick up before he mows. Hmmm….. Maybe we can move out some sod and make a patio. Written by Nibbs