Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
Several years ago my neighbors and friends Laura and Bruce had an absolutely MONSTER dead tree taken down in their back yard at the end of their driveway. Seriously, this thing was huge. Luckily, they were able to drop it over a wooded bank beyond the yard, and we’ve been canibalizing it for bonfires ever since. However, the massive stump remains, and it’s the first thing they see when they pull into their driveway each evening. There’s no way they can have the stump removed, so Laura decided that, rather than try to hide the stump, she’s start embellishing it.
Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
It’s become an ever-evolving little garden where she pops in little perennials and bulbs she picks up throughout the season, and a place to display a few relics she’s picked up on her frequent trips to our amazing local antique flea market, the Elephant’s Trunk. Now, instead of a massive reminder of a dead tree, they see an antique millstone framed by an impressive natural statement and subtly charming little plants.
Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
These photos were taken last week, in mid-May. It just keeps getting better and better as the season progresses. **Be sure to click on all the photos on the left!
Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
Welcome to the Fine Gardening GARDEN PHOTO OF THE DAY blog! Every weekday we post a new photo of a great garden, a spectacular plant, a stunning plant combination, or any number of other subjects. Think of it as your morning jolt of green.
Sign up to get new posts delivered to your inbox each morning so you’ll always remember to take a look, or subscribe to our RSS feed. We look forward to sharing our garden travels with you.
READER PHOTOS: We love featuring your photos, too. If you think you have a photo that we should share on the Garden Photo of the day, email us. Send hi-res images if possible. We’ll only respond if we plan to use your photo.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
DeWalt Variable-Speed Cordless Reciprocating Saw with 6-Piece Saw Blade Set
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Comments
I love creative solutions to problems in the garden. This is well done
This is terrific -- totally inspiring!
And I love that she's my neighbor! It's always good to have other creative folks on the block...especially ones that share plants that they don't have room for.
Such beauty surrounds this stump! These photos are a keeper for my garden library as we may have to remove a large tree very soon. :-( I can visualize how perfect it can be after seeing Laura's creative ideas!! Thanks so much for sharing these pics....they have given me a new outlook!
Beautiful! Love the "button" and the picture with the iris and rocks. I had a stump, much smaller, that I hollowed out and use as a raised planter. Enjoy your pretty view!
We also took a stump and put a ring of rocks around the top and then filled with dirt and added annuals. It turned out very nice. Though this year the bark has fallen away from the stump, not sure what to do next, but working on the garden beds that encircle it. Flowers love to grow next to a decaying stump. The other stump that was cut closer to the ground, we put a large pot on top and filled it with flowers. Finally that stump has eroded away and there is a new red maple about 6ft tall with a garden bed around it. We pruned it to keep its shape well also.
Loved RachelleK's idea of hollowing out the stump to make a planter. Could you please share how you did that? What kind of tool? Thanks in advance.
Wonderful. Like all garden it will evolve with time and different things are added. We just cut down a big tree, what an idea.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in