More on the garden.

My small garden has changed a lot in the less-than-two-years that I've lived here.

It was a fully grassed yard when I moved in.  The neighbour's yards were cleverly set up, to drain into mine and the dogs quickly destroyed the grass with their pee, and their tearing about on the always-wet, lawn.

A truckload of topsoil helped me raise the ground level in pivotal locations to alter the poor drainage pattern.  Digging the hole for the pond gave me more soil, which led to the creation of my raised vegetable garden under the edge of the deck.

The above two shots are before and after shots, looking up the yard.

In planning the layout, I noted the dog's running routes, and then added stepping stones to lessen the damage.  I added a rock garden, and curved a path to direct them away from an area they were tearing up.

The look of an "over grown" garden appeals to me.  Perhaps some dormant memories of an early childhood spent in England, are waking, as I work on my garden.

The side garden, hostas on left, roses on right.

Little "rooms" are forming: the "woodland garden", the "shed garden", the "pond garden", and the "upper garden" each with its own personality.

In setting things up, I considered dog play.  I bounce the ball off the shed roof and it bounces into the "evergreen garden", where Trey is allowed to retrieve it.  But, if it bounces into the pond garden, then Trey must sit and wait for me to retrieve it for him.  When it does splash into the pond, it quite startles the frogs that now live there.

One of the six frogs that now inhabit our pond.

I love spending days messing about in my garden, but I'm not a great planner.  I've made paths, changed them, re-set stones, changed borders and even changed path's directions   I've collected heavy rocks, made a dry river bed, then unmade it a month later.  I've put flowers in one place one day,  and moved them the next day.  

Can't wait to get back out into the garden tomorrow.