Tah-DA!

Remember this wretched wreck of a deck. It was piles of rotted lumber, falling down fencing and whatever that mess was in the corner, who knew!?!


But looky here! In place of the wretched wreck is the New Children's Garden. A fishy pond, a sandbox, lots of plantings, cozy seats. Oh My.

Let's take a tour: First stop is the herb garden -- this is a far cry from last years weed thatch. Intermingled among the rosemary and bail, the lavender and thyme are cheery salmon geranium and several tall hollyhocks.

Side by side are the oeach tree espalier and a very new pear tree. The peach tree is standing at attention with one lone peach not yet ripe for picking.


The sandbox is the living end. It is a slat covered trapzoid filled with fine grained sand, perfect for wee GRANDbabykins to play for hours and hours. And he does!

The seats nearby are for me to watch from afar -- a bit too far. I like to get on my knees and join in the fun.



Ah, the Children's Garden -- it's good to be done.

The Wretched Wreck of a Deck Project -- The Planning Phase

I had a good deal of trouble from the start envisioning what should go here. I thought this was because the wretched deck was in the way, crowding my vision...

... then the deck was peeled away, pitched aside, still nothing came to mind... A fire pit? A dance pavillion? A Suite at the Plaza? What?
And then... and then... a Gingerbread House! Truly. And a sandbox. And a pond... a Children's Garden.


A little thatched cottage (with a dutch door) at the back left, a bird bath, a raspberry bush to the right ... There in the center is a table and a couple of chairs -- a nice place for a snack or lunch or to pot up new plants. For the pond, I have been eyeing Ms. GreenThumb Jean's Tea Kettle Fountain... I have a pump that has been awaiting a place... and I think dishes will be a splendid addition.

On the back wall I have a harlequin of green -- that's an esplanade of ivy. I did get the structure for that set. It's twine now... but I am thinking what I need is something more substantial, something like affixed lath.

The little drawing gives me a direction, a notion of what goes where. Part of the plan has included watching the sun -- seeing how much of it shines where and at what time of day. The little house is placed where the sun shines the longest -- so even then it's shaded. And I thought it would be a muddy mess till the end of time.