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This is the first in a series of essays on how I am converting a small (12' x 16') yard in Cody, Wyoming (USA) from a barren wasteland of pea gravel and total shade to a useful summer room that is a delight to the senses. I am doing this from April to October, with a budget of about $100 (US) per month. Please come along with me on this journey. I expect it to be fun, educational, frustrating and I'll love your company. When you think of Wyoming, you probably picture vast forests, beautiful meadows, big game and Old Faithful. All that is here, but it's not in Cody. Situated at the eastern gate to Yellowstone National Park, Cody was founded in 1900 by Buffalo Bill Cody. His Irma Hotel (two blocks from my house) is still in operation. Cody is in USDA Zone 4 and gets about 13' of rain per year. I am writing this on April 15 and so far we've had about 2.5' of moisture. We are in a 'rain shadow' created by the mountains in Yellowstone. Moisture coming in from the west rises up to the Continental Divide and drops right there. I can see this in action when I stand in my kitchen window and watch the huge clouds evaporate as they sail in from the west. We moved into this rental house in January. The yard looked like any yard in January - brown and bare. But I looked at all that pea gravel and no sign of grass and the row of shaggy unkempt elm trees and knew what I was facing. So I began to plan. Of course the first stop is always the gardening books and magazines that are full of dreamy photographs of gardens in places where it (a) rains and (b) the owner invests the price of a college education in their landscaping. Sigh. But if the folks on that TV show that takes design inspiration from rooms done in the highest style and reinterprets them with items from yard sales and import stores could make a polyester satin purse out of a vinyl pig's ear, I could too! So here is the basic plan, and what I have achieved to date. The yard is out the kitchen door, with a lovely view of the driveway and the street. The neighbors have an enchanting vista out their living room window. My husband and I will use the space for cooking, eating and relaxing. The house shades the yard from the east, the row of elms and the neighbor's house shades it from the west. The southern exposure on the street side gives about 3 hours of sun on the very edge of the yard, and the northern exposure is a nice view of the sky and the row of unidentified shrubs along the fence. I'm doing the garden entirely in container pots. Pots on the ground, pots on other pots, pots hanging from the trees, pots on the roof of the cellar entrance. This way I can control the soil quality and keep the water ON the plants instead of soaking into the thirsty ground. This also will let me rotate plants as they come into bloom or fade, and most importantly, lets me move plants from one spot to another if my original idea didn't work. So far I have bleeding hearts, hostas, lilies of the valley, grape hyacinth and another bulb I can't remember. There's one pot of yellow tulips salvaged from an end-of-season sale that's doing remarkably well. Finally, there are three large pots of bush peas. Soon to come are some ferns and tuberous begonias. There's no furniture, but we have two cast iron hibachis, so we can cook and eat like John Coulter did when he came through here in the early 19th century - meat roasted over the fire and butt firmly on the ground. Who was John Coulter, you ask? He was no gardener. He was the young man who left the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery before they got back to St. Louis and walked back to the Rocky Mountains to discover Yellowstone, via what was to become Cody, WY. Written by Mary-Denise Smith. © 2004 Electronic Perceptions This article is provided courtesy of The Garden Source Network - http://www.garden-source.com - a large gardening network devoted to helping you find all the gardening materials you need, such as Seeds, Live Plants, Roses, Trees and Beautiful decor. This article may be distributed and published on any website, as long as this statement and URL remain intact, and the website address is linked properly.
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More Articles:1. Installation tips for Log Cabins part 2 This is the second article on how we find it best to install log cabins, again it is focused on the Lugarde range but much of it can be applied to other manufacturer's models. We are now up to the top of the wall level and ready to start on the roof. It is now necessary to build up the gable ends and any trusses; the number of trusses depends on the size of the building. This part can be quite tricky and it is necessary to take a great deal of care as if any pieces are dropped the corners can be… 2. Selling Your House? Trim Your Shrubs! Shrubbery and other greenery that has an unkempt appearance can often be misconstrued as a sign of neglect, and gives a bad impression of your house overall. Prospective homebuyers who see shrubbery that has not been well maintained may not even be aware of their observation, but it will have an impact on the way they view your property as a whole.If they do observe the unkempt shrubbery directly, they may make the assumption that the rest of the home has not been properly maintained.Keep bushes… 3. A Dozen Tips for Producing Low Allergy Gardens A Dozen Tips for Producing Low-Allergy GardensÓ Thomas Leo OgrenWhat we plant often has a direct effect on our own health and the health of those near us. A pollen-producing male tree in our own yard will easily expose us to ten times more pollen than would a similar tree growing just down the block. This can be compared to second-hand smoke. It is possible to inhale some smoke from a person smoking a block or two away from you, but it is hardly the same as someone smoking right next to you. It… 4. Winter Gardening Ok, the title might be a tad bit misleading. I am not suggesting that you actually garden during the winter but you should be using this time to plan your upcoming garden.As you look out at your yard and garden area during the cold months of winter, let your thoughts run wild and you will be amazed at what images you can conjure up. You might even want to try some of your new found ideas this spring!1. Pour through garden catalogs, flip the pages and fold down the corner anytime you find someth… |
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