Today’s photos are from Sue DeRoche in The Woodlands, Texas. She says, “My sweet friend Jerry & I went on a vacation up the East Coast & into Canada for 3 months in 2011 to escape the hot summer here. When we returned I was sooo glad to be home & the following morning I told Jerry that I have been everywhere and seen everything and I just don’t want to go anymore.
I informed him that I was going to expand the patio and add an outdoor kitchen and fire pit, and have a garden retreat built with fountains, large boulders, and tons of plants and trees that bloom. I proceeded with the project starting in November 2011 and completed everything in March 2012.
The very first year, in June 2012, we won 1st place in the Home & Garden show in our area. I am so amazed and thankful for what I see, feel, and smell every morning as I head outside with my cup of hot tea into the beauty in our private paradise. I have loved flowers and plants my entire life and can’t imagine life without them. We have birds, bees, and butterflies enjoying this with us also.
The plants in our gardens are just about everything. We have dwarf gardenias, dwarf bottlebrushes, pittosporums, agapanthus, bird of paradise, irises, society garlic, daisies, dianthus, colossus, impatiens, lantana, foxtail ferns, many Knockout roses, decorative grasses, red sisters, petunias, snapdragons, pansies, alyssum, two crape myrtle trees, two Bradford pear trees, one redbud tree, one Japanese blueberry tree, one holly tree, one purple plum, and two vitex trees, one ‘Little Gem’ magnolia, sweet olive bush, butterfly bushes, honeysuckle vines, jasmine vines, Texas deep throat vine, and many more that I simply cannot put a name to.
If there is an opening in any bed, then I add a flower. Almost everything blooms at some time of the year so I always have the beauty of flowers.”
Wow, Sue, you’ve done a LOT in 3 years!! What a flower-packed, personal garden! It’s true that making your home and garden your personal haven makes coming home even sweeter. Thanks for sharing!
Help me keep kicking out posts all winter long–send me photos of your gardens NOW! Email me at [email protected]. Thanks! –Michelle
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Comments
Sue there definetly is no place like home when your garden looks like this. You use a lot of color without making your gardens feel overly saturated with color. No wonder you won first place in your home and garden show. I could sit and enjoy tea here all day long. Your hard work has definetly paid off. Lovely lovely lovely. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos.
Truly a labor of love!
healthy, full, vigorous AND colorful! i'm especially envious of and coveting that covered porch
What a fantastic home to be in with the way you have developed your outdoor and garden space. You've definitely been busy. Way to pack the plants in. Love the Chaste tree! Can only imagine what else you have planned for your bit of paradise. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, I'd have given you an award, too! That vitex caught my eye, too. What a great focal point.
Well Sue, you sure did win first place! I for sure would be out there every morning with a cup of tea! The red chairs are a real nice addition to pull the colors together along with the bricks. Its all so lovely! Isnt it wonderful to have a place you just love to come home to and don't really want to leave! Enjoy the fall season! Thanks for sharing!
Good for you, Sue, for knowing your mind and what works for you. You have created a setting with wonderfully gracious ambiance. There are so many delightful plants and objects of ornamentation to capture interest...it gives off the vibe of a beautiful vacation spot and yay, all you have to do is walk out your door to enjoy it every day. You sent me off on a couple of google searches because I was unfamiliar with the names 'red sisters' and Japanese Blueberry bush. I agree with the others that your blue vitex is the picture of perfection. Do you have a pruning regimen to keep it so rounded and full?
Sue, that covered patio and the flowerbeds all around it do make a perfect retreat! Easy to see why you were amazed and thankful when your vision became a reality, so wonderful when that happens. It looks fantastic. Congratulations!
Inspiring! I'm trying to accomplish the same but it's taking much longer than 3 years! Wow! There is no place like (your) home - beautiful! Hmmm, a dwarf bottlebrush you say?
What a dream come true to be able to create your own little piece of heaven! Your beautiful gardens must give you so much pleasure every single day... and your outdoor kitchen ain't half bad either ;)
Sue congratulations on a beautiful and delightful garden. You certainly have created a wonderful oasis.
Gorgeous! Love the Vitex and everything else. What is the bright blue flower in picture 4? What a vibrant color. You did good! Now stay home and enjoy it! That's my philosophy too. Been there, done that. Now I want my garden and my cats, and most of all, my husband of 52 years. Life is good.
You did a great job, Sue. One thing I love is the big, cozy chairs in the shade. I think every garden should have comfy seating somewhere! I have to admit sometimes I don't want to leave my little paradise, either.
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