Changing The Landscape, Part Two: Changes in the Wedding Garden

a new garden room without the weeds

When I first bought my place in 1996 I had no idea how to plan gardens and knew I had a lot to learn before I proceeded. I took a class, read numerous books, studied gardens, and talked to many seasoned gardeners. I found out what grew well in my climate zone and in sandy soil.
Here is how the yard in the front of the house looked that spring. I killed off the weeds and laid down bark. The tree to the left was all that was planted by the former owners. When JEJ and I were married in August of 1997 we knew we didn't need the usual wedding gifts as we were combining two households of "stuff". We asked people to contribute gifts for a wedding garden. It was a lovely collection of trees, flowers, pots, and roses that we received. We planted the garden that fall and by spring of 1998 the first bulbs bloomed and other trees and shrubs began to take off. It was a joy to watch that little garden grow more beautiful each year.By 2004 the wedding garden was a focal point in the yard. The Mountain Ash had grown quickly. Shrubs were filling out. The irises from EM were lovely every spring and JEJ added a new path around the garden. This picture was taken this last spring. Ground cover had gotten a bit out of control. Grass decided to take up residence around many of the plants. Some plants weren't doing as well because more shade had developed. There wasn't as much color in the summer. Neither one of us were ready to tackle this project .


Last week as we were changing the landscape by have trees removed, I tackled our sad wedding garden. I removed weeds, the old chair used to hold a big pot, pine needles, dying plants, and grass. I trimmed back shrubs and tree branches. There was still much that was good about it... it just needed a summer makeover.
Rather than finding new plants that would grow under the tree we decided we liked the space under the Mountain Ash as another place to rest in the garden.
Rather than redoing the weed barrier, I just put down a rug. We moved in some chairs and a table JEJ built and now just need to transplant some lavender and hostas when the weather is a bit cooler to finish it off. I love little garden rooms that call you for morning coffee or a rest after dinner.

Until I went through all the pictures, it was hard for me to believe the wedding garden was almost eleven years old. Many of the original plants are still there and some new ones will be added. I look forward to enjoying time actually sitting among my wedding gifts now while they mature for another eleven years.