Comments

1. 
   meander_michaele 09/08/2015

   Good morning, Joe, nice to see some additional parts of your gardens. Gee, a pond in place for 30 years! Someone was a trendsetter before the trend even started. Have you been the owner of your place all along?
   Who couldn't feel that all is right with the world when greeted by your beautiful granddaughter offering up such a lovely bouquet. How wonderful that she loves flowers and loves to share.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   My wife & I bought the house 48 years ago. She did not know it at the time but when we left the closing we had $1.75 cents to our name & she was hungry. Her meal came to $1.40 ,I had a cup of coffee & left the rest as a tip. Flat broke but better times.Sophia loves the yard ,trees to climb ,places to hide etc.

1. 
   meander_michaele 09/08/2015

   What a wonderful recollection to carry in your heart and mind...you had a cup full of love as well as coffee and didn't need anything else.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   Thank you for your kind & thoughtful remarks. Joe

2. 
   greengenes 09/08/2015

   What a nice picture to wake up to. The pond with the azaleas is very beautiful. Sorry to hear of your loss, the red bud tree. A friend of mine just lost hers this year as well. They are such a great tree. A loved garden is never finished. Now this is so true Joe! I think I will never quit gardening. Its a part of us. It sure looks as though Sophia is going to carry on with gardening! She is a good little arranger too! Thanks for sharing with us your little bit of paradise!

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   We are going to look for a replacement tree this weekend It has to be a small tree because of it's proximity to power lines. I have had no luck with ornamental maples. Sophia wades right into the gardens with the bees & butterflies to get what she wants. Good luck,Joe

3. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 09/08/2015

   So bright and cheerful, especially with a budding floral designer in the mix. Are those both lilacs and crape myrtles in the last photo? Really great colors together. I just bought a crape myrtle this weekend that has black/purple foliage. If it survives for me, it will probably be a die-back shrub unless we have a mild winter, but it was worth a try!

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   The yellow flower is a tigrinium Lillie "citronella" The others are crape myrtles &. the fence & pier at the pond were made from lumber from the purple one. The one you bought may be Plumb Magic. I have one & I double wrapped it with burlap & mulched it but it did die back to the ground. It is now 4 ft. high & in full bloom. I am in zone 7 & was told the Plum series would probably not survive & get rid of it. It's a beautiful plant & good luck with it & like you said it is worth a try. Joe

4. 
   annek 09/08/2015

   So beautiful, Joe. Your gardening love shows everywhere. All photos are are glorious, but oh, that first one......Out of a magical garden

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   Thank you, my wife bought a pond kit for a 2 ft. sq. pond. I asked my son to dig a hole for it while I was at work. I came home the hole was 12 ft. by 10 ft x 2ft. deep. & there it sits today. Last year I gave away 55 fish & my grandchildren had a great day catching them with nets. I am glad you like it, Joe

5. 
   GrannyMay 09/08/2015

   Thanks for sharing your lovely garden, Joe. Nothing could be more delightful than having your own flowers to gather for a beautiful bouquet and passing along the love of gardening to your grandchildren.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   She is up for anything. She spent a few days here this summer. Whether it's fishing & riding bikes at the state park, climbing on cannons , exploring the dungeons & flying a kite at Ft. McHenry she is ready. I slept for 12 hrs. when she went back home. She has her own garden at home with roses, annuals calicarpa etc. Thank you for your response, Joe

6. 
   GrannyCC 09/08/2015

   What a beautiful garden Joe. Sophie is delightful with her lovely bouquet of flowers. Nice to know the gardening bug is being handed down to the next generations. The Cape Myrtle and Lilacs are gorgeous.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   Thank you, Sophia added a little area to my wife's memorial garden while she was here this summer. We moved some stone, mounded topsoil & she planted 3 Blue star daisies . She put a little ornament from Disneyworld that says "welcome to my garden" in the center. I had the plants the rest was her idea.Good good luck to you & I appreciate your comments, Joe

7. 
   sheila_schultz 09/08/2015

   Your gardens and that sweet pond are simply beautiful, Joe. There is no wonder Sophia has a big grin on her face, her grandfathers home is where the wonder begins! Love it!

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   Thank you, I am glad to hear you like what we have done thru the years. When we moved here there was a grape arbor, 2 azalea & a dead maple tree. Her grin is perpetual & you can't be down when she's around. Thank you & good luck,

8. 
   user-7007327 09/08/2015

   Bright, beautiful colors, serene green, and peaceful pond. All you need is a cat.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   Thank you, my neighbors supply the cats but they don't seem to bother the fish. The blue heron is a different story. Thank you & good luck ,Joe

9. 
   NCYarden 09/08/2015

   Tremendous devotion to a home and garden, Joe...an amazing show of passion. Love that last pic of the long shot over & through the garden. The crepe myrtle color combo is rich. I can only imagine the changes this garden has seen over your time here. And the pond is just a great feature, and yet just another reminder for me to get even busier and complete the one in my own garden. The bordering azaleas are the perfect complement. I'd guess this garden puts smiles on everyone's face. Bouquet or not, I'm sure everyone leaves with something pleasant. Thanks for sharing.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   For the 1st. 15 yrs. or so the yard was the neighborhood playground for my kids & friends. I have never had clear water in the pond for any length of time. You can spend a lot of money on filters and things but nothing worked for me reliably & I stopped trying. The fish & plants don't seem to mind. Good luck & thank you, Joe

10. 
    Meelianthus 09/08/2015

    Goodmorning Joe ~ I certainly see why your little granddaughter loves to pick bouquets on her visits, your gardens are a veritable bouquet gathering paradise. Beautifully done! And that is a wonderful pond with a lot of adventure surrounding it. What a happy place you have created over your long reign in your gardens. Years more of happy gardening to you ^_^

1. 
   user-3565112 09/08/2015

   Thank you, When she sees something growing she likes she plows right in and gets it. I hope to be able to do this a while longer. " Though but an old man, I am a young gardener" Thomas Jefferson There were a lot of false starts & plans that didn't work out Thank you for your comments & Good luck, Joe

1. 
   Meelianthus 09/09/2015

   I just wanted to say that 'false starts and plans that didn't work out', that's how a really great garden is created. Looks like you are there now. I have been gardening here (in WA) for 30 years and I think I finally have it the way I want it (I know my husband sure hopes so!!). Best of luck to you also Joe.

11. 
    perenniallycrazy 09/09/2015

    Gorgeous Joe and that photo with your granddaughter holding a bouquet of flowers is priceless.

1. 
   user-3565112 09/09/2015

   Thank you for comments. She is my youngest grandchild & full of energy & enthusiasm. We have Easter egg hunts in the yard and despite being the smallest she always gets her share. I am glad to hear you like what we have done & good luck to you, Joe