Egypt4u

I belong to a local group of women and we raise money for literacy projects, reintegration of people (although mostly women) back into the work place etc. Our big summer money raiser is to organize and sell tickets to a garden tour.

This year our tour had 6 different gardens all about this area. I helped host at one of the gardens today that had a shady woodland theme. Both husband and wife were Biologists and their passion is their home and their garden which they literally carved out of the woods about 30 years ago.

Most of their plants grow in deep shade with minimal sun. They were lucky enough to have a spring that runs through their half acre too.

These are some of the photos from their property. They went out of their way to label most of their plants. Unfortunately all their rhododendrons are now finished but the greenery and different textures was wonderful. Their entire property exudes "Labour of love." The man is mid-70ies and because of the extreme rabbit problem he has now totally fenced his fence with quarter mesh wire fencing to 18" high. Seems to be working to keep the rabbits out but it was definitely a feat that was accomplished on hands & knees to get all the wire in place.

These are some of the photos I took of their yard today:

LLL, I always have a smile when you and forum members in the US refer to their gardens as their 'backyard'. I now sometimes even use the term to, talk the same language, so to speak.
Here, a backyard normally refers to a small paved area just outside the backdoor that would lead to an outside loo and coal store. And that would be it, no garden. But that stems from way back in industrial Victorian times.

The garden you show is very green and peaceful. Nice pictures I would be happy to have all green plants on our backyard patio. Green is so cool and relaxing.

It would seem to be open garden season both here and over there. Our #1 son and DiL spent yesterday morning visiting open gardens in their area. They invited us for tea in the afternoon and their 'backyard' is looking good right now. Just a small'ish town garden but Karen, a junior school teacher, is an RHS member and spends a lot of time in her garden.


We didn't come away empty handed. She gave us a fern that she had split from a larger one and is bringing on a banana plant for us a little later on. She has a selection of banana plants and I must say the various leaf colours are very attractive.

All lookig relly nice (shame the images were a bit small) they both have certainly put in lots of work

Super pictures from everyone

Btw Grandad we up here call it backyard too, but, it is shortened to " backy " which everyone uses

Wonder WHY the images this time are so small?? Hmmmm.......

Backyard here refers essentially to anything behind the house and usually incorporates a large lawn, vegetable & flower garden plus childs play area. Front yard usually means the front lawn although more and more homes are being built now with very small front yards and often (like mine) without grass. I'm a bit unique here in that I have no grass anywhere and have instead put down weed barrier with gravel overtop. Personally I've cut more than my fair share of HUGE lawns in my life and wanted to eliminate the hassle.

@Grandad - you'll have to ask your daughter-in-law a question re: banana growing. I have never grown a banana plant however I've always been under the impression they grow, produce bananas and then die. Does she have a variety that doesn't do that? Is she anticipating propagating them on an on-going basis? (i.e. do they shoot up shoots you have to harvest and re-plant or ?) I've never grown one although they're gorgeous plants with great foliage. I've always thought they'd grow well but the "dying" part and having to start them has always dissuaded me from growing them.

I joined our local Horticultural society here. They meet monthly and I quite enjoy the monthly speakers that are organized. They also have an exchange table where Members can bring in excess plants for others to take (got rid of a bunch of baby Spider plants I didn't want but couldn't bring myself to throw out) and I did get a chunk of root stock of a double pink Iris aka Flag. It is growing well but didn't flower this year - hopefully next year.

@LLL. I can't answer your question LLL because the banana plant project is very much work in progress. Karen, my DiL, is learning but did say that through winter the plants need to be protected. She was calling them trees but even my limited knowledge tells me that bananas grow on plants.
She has about four varieties and the different leaf colours are very attractive. I only took a few pics because it was not very sunny but I have put them together and you will find them here.

The banana plants can be seen in a couple of shots and you can pause to have a look. The small one nearest camera grew at the bottom of a larger plant and that is the one she is bringing on for me.

Wow! your DIL sure has a beautiful garden

Even though I couldn't name any of her plants I do love her splash of colours on the fences etc around the garden, love the seating area in the lilac colour, would like to see it in the evening with lights on

@Grandad - just watched the video clip and your Karen's yard and garden is gorgeous! Love the spashes of colour and please tell her that unless she has a patent on it I'm stealing her idea of having coloured bird houses hung along the fence. I already have bird houses on the fence but they're all stained cedar (brown). Great idea for some height to the visual.

Very interesting that she has her bananas in pots. I have quite a few containers of plants myself and they're definitely lots easier to keep in some ways than those in the ground. You never really have to weed them and can easily move them around for a different effect.

Quite like her fountain too. I've seen on advertised here on ebay of a solar fountain. Quite cheap $$-wise but I'm not too sure how well it would actually work. Conceptually the idea is a good one. There is a semi-submersible solar panel and since most fountains, bird baths are out in the sun it would work but ?? Probably going to wait 'til next year so that they've refined this idea a bit more. Have never wanted an electric fountain where I have to somehow run a cord, bury it (or leave it out to trip over) just to run a fountain. Will - but her looks very lovely.

Bet her garden in the evening is quite spectacular too with lights

Whilst gardening is traditionally looked on as growing plants there are many more elements to it than that - structures, furniture, birds & birdhouses/feeders, lighting, firepits, fountains, pots and other decorative pieces ALMOST like living INSIDE but just OUTSIDE