My Gardens, My World - Backyard Terraced Beds & Excess Areas

This overview of the upper terraced garden beds from the carport also shows the swing area which is my Happy Place to rest and view My Gardens, My World. 

There are four original vegetable gardens 4' x 20' that were built shortly after we moved here in 1986.  Treated wood was used but the interiors were lined with heavy plastic with the bottom left open. The wood has deteriorated over the 40 years. I'm sure the treated chemicals have leached out long ago. It is unlikely we will replace these four beds. We never used pesticides and only use organic fertilizer on the plants we eat.

There are two concrete strawberry beds built in recent years.  The swing area is lower than the area behind it that is used for extra parking. Native coral honeysuckle vine is planted to cover the trellis.  Below it is a variety of succulents, native hibiscus, catnip, and marigolds.  Between the swing and the steps is a steep clay hill planted in common orange lilies, allium, surprise lilies, and lemon balm.  

There is a 4-tier concrete decorative block garden below the carport planted in a variety of lilies, elephant ears, poppies, and Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia).  Below the strawberry beds is a native garden with blue mist, yarrow, and slender mountain mist showing in the above photo.

Overview of all terraced garden beds viewed from the shed.  On the left is an old excess garden made from treated railroad ties used for a variety of plants.  This year's come backs are Shasta daisies, red salvia, Mexican sunflowers, New England aster, fennel, and hollyhocks.  Above this garden is a boxwood hedge along the sidewalk.  On the other side of the sidewalk is the native garden also made of treated railroad ties.

Vegetable Garden #1 has variety lettuce, spinach, leeks, cucumbers, marigolds, asparagus, and nasturtium

Vegetable Garden #2 has leeks, carrots, Italian oregano, spinach, cucumber, marigolds, and currents

Vegetable Garden #3 has radishes, green beans, tomatoes, green onions, and beets 

Garden #4 looking toward the property line.  It has 3 kinds of squash, dill, cilantro, thornless blackberries, sunflowers, and a variety of wildflowers including native milkweed honey vine which is the host plant for monarch butterflies as they travel through in the fall (Supers). Most everything comes back every year.

Garden #4 view looking toward the shed has some old irises on a rocky slope.  This is the bottom end of the terraced areas.  The shed is even raised up on the backside utilizing storage underneath.

Garden #4 Batchelor Buttons

Garden #4 has a variety of wildflowers like blue batohleor buttons, four o'clocks, and thornless blackberries on the fence.

Garden #4 Thornless Blackberries in Bloom

Garden #4 Wildflowers in Bloom

This is an Excess Area that is located on the other side of the shed that defines the lowest level of the backyard.  Between this area and the street is a steep slope full of yucca plants and sumac.  This is a place for excess lily varieties, irises, and Bells of Ireland.  The recently mulched empty area had the early surprise lily (aka naked lilies) greenery that has died back and will produce the pick blooms in August.

Belles of Ireland, Irises, and Soloman's Seal

Surprise Lilies (aka Naked Ladies) in August

Excess lilies from thinning out main beds include a variety of day lilies, trumpets, Cala lilies, Asiatics, and whatever else needs a home.  The deer frequent this area to nibble the buds and have even left a little fawn here once that I know of while mama goes out and about.

This is a rocky slope between Garden #4 and the property line.  I have several native gooseberry bushes here that produce.  In view is a structure built that I call "a gravel dispenser."  It is a tall wood box full of gravel that was built for target practice that we never use.  This whole area had gravel at one time but has grown over in grass and weeds that is whipped 2-3 times a year now.

View from shed looking toward property line.  This is the edge where the terraces end and the steep slope drops to the street.  There is a wood gate that blocks the view of the dump from above where we burn stuff in a protected area. Makes it easy to wheelbarrow refuse from the landscape downhill.

Back up the hill between Garden #1 and the lilac hedge property line is the compost bin.  Above it is the stairway from the lower driveway.  This is the path from the kitchen to the compost with scraps that go into the gardens eventually.  The blue barrel is for water that can be used for the gardens with a downhill hose.  We have city water so we fill it for the chlorine to dissipate before putting it on the gardens.  Rainwater is best, of course, but it helps a little to have it.  There are  seven water hydrants available for the backyard and one for the front yard.  That's oregano to the left of the compost bin on a rocky slope.  Below it is a dill and marigold garden.

The two strawberry terraced gardens are only about three years old made of poured concrete.  The netting works okay but I would like to find an easier way to protect them and get to the ripe berries that need picking often in spring.

 

Ripe Strawberries!  This year I picked enough strawberries each week in May for both of us to each have a serving everyday!  There will be more now and then in June also.

My Gardens, My World - Front Yard; Tier 1, Driveway & Below Carport Areas

 

The front yard is the main window to My Gardens, My World. I enjoy the view from the bistro set just outside the front door.  From here I can observe the sunrise as it illuminates the terraced front lawn and begins my day. Bobi Kitty has joined me for over 15 years and it is where I was when we first met in early June.  I have no Idea where he came from but estimated he was only about 5-6 weeks old. He came up to me every morning to sit on my lap; then I fed him. He decided to stay and became my garden kitty for the season. He chose to come inside when the weather got cold and was let outside whenever he wanted.  The following spring he was shot by a neighbor and lost a hind leg.  I took care of all the vet bills and got him a collar.  This 3-legged American Bobtail belongs in my world now.  He is a loving, grateful cat who stays very close to the house outside but is inside most of the time.  He is my joy and comfort.

The front entrance to the house is a morning sun area that is a good location for potted plants.  This year I like dark red and lavender geraniums here. The aloe vera plant is very large and is wheeled to the lower level inside each fall when the weather gets cold. I have had it for about ten years now when it was much smaller and part of a huge plant; a gift from my maid-of-honor of our wedding, Jolene Hamblen in Iowa.The low level ground cover to the left (winter creeper) keeps it's dark green color over winter but needs to be trimmed twice a year or it will take over more than I want.  There is creeping thyme between the bricks that I planted about 15 years ago and trimmed up a lot last year to prepare for reseeding soon.

This Japanese Maple must be at least 45 years old as it was well established when we bought this 1978-built house in 1986.  I keep it trimmed below the roof and off the sidewalk.  The birds love to come to it all times of the year especially when the feeders are put up on the eave for hummingbirds and orioles.  It is covered with Christmas lights to enjoy through the picture window in season.  Below it is a hosta that blooms purple flowers. 

There are additional potted plants along the base of the English ivy covered wall with sedum on top.  This is a lantana annual plant that the butterflies love. The creeping thyme has purple or white blooms and tare a low growing plant with a wonderful scent when walked on.  It can be mowed late in the summer or fall if they get too tall and spindly.  This actually releases the seed to continue for the next season but the main plants live through the winter.  I am adding new seed for the first time soon to refresh after the initial planting in 2011.

Crimson Flame Geranium 

View of both front yard tiers from the bistro table at sunrise

View of front yard patio from the northeast property line looking southeast.

View of the front yard looking northeast from the house corner along the redbud tree property line.

View of front yard patio from the driveway at house corner looking toward redbud tree property line.  The patio brick was originally dry-set laid in the late 1990s by a contractor, David Spotlla.  I had obtained the free brick on a job site of a razed 100 year old building in Mt. Vernon, Missouri.  I have replaced a couple dozen bricks with new brick as they crumbled.

View of the front yard from the corner of tier1 and the driveway.

View of the tier 1 lawn area bordering the driveway toward the house front.  There is an Autumn Joy Sedum and a Russian Sage along this edge.  The lawn was refurbished this spring with a seed called Midnight Black Fescue.

This corner of the front yard has two lavender plants and a heather that come back most years.  I have replanted new lavender plants several times as they seem to do well for about three years before replacing.  I have a new geranium here now too.  This is the second year of the heather which should bloom a bright purple again.  English ivy covers the whole wall but I keep it trimmed to expose some of the rock.  There is another hosta that blooms purple flowers in summer at the corner.  Also at this corner are pink surprise lilies (aka naked ladies) that will pop up in late summer.

More of the view of the patio and tier 1 wall which has solar lights.

Below the pink dogwood tree are annual impatiens after spring bulbs of red tulips and a variety of hyacinths were done blooming.  

SunPatiens Tropical Salmon and New Guinea Magenta tolerate some sun and are hardier than regular impatiens.

Red tulips have come and gone by mid-May.  These bulbs stay in the ground and are over 20 years old now.  They have been divided and spread out a few years ago from the original.  There are many random small grape hyacinths and crocus in this area as well as between the redbud tree row ad lawn.  Love the early color to welcome spring!

This corner of the rock wall is in the shade of the pink dogwood and the redbud trees.  It is a popular watering place for all kinds of birds and critters including Bobi Kitty who likes laying in the cool grass nearby overseeing his kingdom.  Squirrels, bunnies, turtles, deer, turkey, and foxes have also been seen drinking.

Other popular spots for wildlife are the bird feeders both for seed and suet on the other corner by the driveway and the feeders hanging on the eave which can be viewed and enjoyed from the patio and through the picture window.  Hummingbirds and orioles come to the feeders hanging on the eaves.  I have identified about 60 species of birds that have come to my front yard over the yeas!

In the middle of the front property line are the driveway gardens and the mailbox area.  There are three main tiers with at least seven levels.  The larger and lowest level is the alternate driveway and main access to the backyard down some steps behind the fence.  There is a big drop off behind the obelisk which is on the side of the carport.  This view from the street highlights a blue ballon plant and a blue speedwell in front along with the yellowing blooming sedum.  There is a little bit of a creeping juniper remaining under the mailbox that is probably 30 years old and once covered this whole front area next to the street.  

There are three levels to the first tier along the main driveway from the obelisk to the street.  Gladiolas are all along the wall between the first tier and second tier and the rest filled with dahlias.  I left these bulbs in the ground last year and to my surprise they did come back likely because this is a protected area with the wall.  There have been many different plants over the years in this location and I like to make changes.  But now I have mostly plants that come back each year.  The next level below the yellow yarrow I have new Shasta daisies with purple and red petunias (annuals) which are highly scented. The next lower level (in front) also has Shasta daisies in the middle but red Echinacea and blue ballon plants on either side.  Can you see the red, white, and blue theme going on here? 

The view from the obelisk and carport is breathtaking!  Morning glories and hyacinth bean vines will be growing on the obelisk soon. The Belles of Ireland and yellow yarrow fill the rest of this area.

The Belles of Ireland are self seeding and have these bell blooms growing all along the main stems.

 

Yellow Yarrow

Panama Red Echinacea are new this year as I wanted a red bloom all summer that comes back each year.

White Shasta Daisies are new this year although I had a much taller version here before and wanted them shorter.  

Blue Ballon plants do very well here and bloom all season.  The one I planted several years ago below the mailbox is very showy.  They need to be dead-headed almost everyday to keep producing but it is so worth it as I walk to the mailbox.

The blue speedwell has been here many years and is also very showy next to the mailbox in the lower tier.

View of the driveway gardens from the lowest level that can be used as an additional driveway.  It was once all gravel but is mowed as grass and weeds took over.  The plants seen here are self-seeding, multicolor four-o'clocks that I allow to grow in this one spot.  It would take over if I didn't remove the wayward seedlings early.  The lower tier has the multicolor dahlias with the red gladiolas behing them.  I have to aggressively trim down the dahlias so the gladiolas can be seen from this side.  At the rear end of this garden below the obelisk are some Asiatic lilies about ready to bloom. There is a big drop off next to the old mailbox with is used to store some extra clippers to have handy as there are wonderful flowers to cut here all season!

The dahlias are just beginning to bloom.

Native coral honeysuckle grow on the lattice which surrounds a garden swing that faces towards the back yard gardens.  I had severely trimmed up this vine last year as there was much dead wood inside as it covered the lattice.  I also got two more vines separated and replanted nearby.  This is the first place I see hummingbirds in the spring and know when to put out the feeders.

Full view of the lowest level boarding the city street with the property line to the left.  It is very steep behind the fenced area. We had high clay content dirt loads dumped here to level with the street and gravel on top in the early years.  This was the last of the 22 loads (river bottom dirt) as most of the loads went to the back yard accessing through here with a dump truck and tractor to level.  We got our dirt and gravel from local Laurel Pearson and the tractor work by Don Ginnings to put it in the terraces as we built them.  Gras and weed have covered the gravel over the years to where we just mow it.  The fence was built to provide privacy from the street of our spacious gardens in the back yard.  The lattice portion has some hyacinth bean vines and morning glories to cover which die back after season.  The open part has a stairway to the back yard.  This year we are starting some boysenberry plants at the base of the fence on the left.  I hope they do well.  The fence portion parallel to the street open up to access and load our kayaks as we can back up our pickup or trailer easily.

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Steps from the lowest level driveway to the back yard gardens.  Storm took out some of the lattice work a couple years ago as well as removing a beautiful fragrant white flowering vine that was here for many years.  It is unlikely that it will all be replaced.

There are hostas, orange day lilies, and vinca on either side of this sidewalk.

Orange Day Lilies

This is the southwest property line as viewed from the street.  It shows a steep incline which was what the whole yard was like when we moved here in 1986.  Most of this property line has a lilac bush row from the fence area to the last terraced walls near the bottom of the hill.  I planted 20 lilac 6" slips in 2000 which was the year my daughter graduated from high school.  They had a major refurbishing this past spring and did not bloom much mostly due to weather conditions.  I expect a second lite bloom in the fall.  

There are also some old irises, day lilies, vinca, and a crepe myrtle bush between the lilacs and the kayak storage.  This spring I improved a step-down access from the backyard to this boundary where the lilacs begin.

Since I started this post, we had a lot of rain that brought out many of the blooms that did not show a short time ago when I took the other photos.  I am including many plants below the carport that bloom at different times but mainly May-July.  By late July there will be bright orange Mexican sunflowers that will reach up to the carport rail and dominate until frost.  

Haney's Double Poppies

Svengali Asiatic Lilies

 

 Pink Marquise Asiatic Lilies

 Lilium Regale Trumpet Lilies (highly scented)

Black Beauty Oriental Lilies bloom in July and August 

(lightly scented)

Blueberry plants are in full sun just below the corner of the carport and the backyard with the first fruit now in its 3rd year.