Nice pictures. I like the hidden steps! Tell your husband that he did a wonderful job.

Absolutely remarkable! Hard to understand how y'all have done so much in such a short period of time. You are hereby nominated to host a get together for the Georgia Gardener Gang.

My best,
Rosie, in Sugar Hill

What is the varigated plant in picture #31? and what kind of conditions does it prefer?

The stonework and landscaping is absolutely beautiful.

Dora

It is a variegated ginger. I am not sure it will come up this next spring because I don't know which variety it is. Some are not cold tolerant at all.

What a nice find on this site to start the new year. It's lovely and inspiring (I do need inspiration!) to see what's obviously going to grow into a more and more beautiful garden with each year. I remember your weeping willow--will you have another in this garden, or not? And I should know, but what's that yellow-flowered shrub you chose for the bank on the upper path? I have nothing but banks and slopes and am always looking for good plants.

Happy gardening, Rosie north of Gainesville :)

I have planted another weeping willow near the new pond. Let me tell you about the big weeper in my old garden----It came down during a storm last summer. My heart was broken but it fell the absolute only way it could have to avoid damaging my garden and/or house. My husband cut it to within about 12 feet from the rootball and 4 big men shoved it upright. We were going to finish cutting it to the ground later (we wanted to get the big upturned root ball back down into the crater it made. Anyway, it sprouted like crazy and by this fall it looked kind of, er, well, interesting. I might take a picture of it when it leafs out this spring. I am going to see what it will look like before I cut it down to the ground.
The yellow blooming shrub is a Cassia. It bloomed all November. I had kept it in a big pot for years and moved it into my greenhouse in the winter because it, too, is not winter hardy. I wanted it to either live or die in the ground. If it resprouts in the spring I will be surprised but it sure went out in a blaze of glory!

That is absolutely remarkable! I love your under deck garden, that is very unusual and very creative.

Hubby is amazing!

Wow! I wish I could do half as much work as you do in that short a period. You really have an eye for design. Thanks for sharing your pictures.

I am stunned. That is a beautiful layout and I am intrigued by the sunken garden. I have a situation that's (sort of) similar: We added onto our house and, in the process (since our house is on a large grade) ended up with a L-A-R-G-E "crawlspace" (uh...like 9 feet high) on one end. Big enough for a nice basement, except we really have water issues...too many, in our opinion to build the basement we'd really like to have. It's never just massive amounts of water anymore because we have french drained it like nobody's business...but it still stays pretty moist, which makes us concerned about putting in a real floor and trying to make it liveable space. It is dark (of course) under there...and wet...but your pix got me to thinking. Would it be a ridiculous idea for me to layer it with gravel (several inches), and plant through the gravel with shade/wet feet plants? Or, would I simply be creating a haven for snakes? (Like, isn't it a haven for snakes already though?)

I like hearing you're putting in another willow. Your old one was (!) so beautiful. The continuation of its story sounds about right for a willow, though. I'd love to have one if only I could get enough water to it. I'd take some of MK's gladly if I could... :) Never thought about it, but how do snakes like crushed granite?

rosie -- I have to say, sometimes I do feel a little guilty about all the water on our property, when folks up in Atlanta and northwards have had so much drought. We live next to a pond...there are several in our area. I hear that many, many years ago the whole place was a marshy area with several underground springs. All of the development has changed the direction of the springs I guess and we are the "lucky" ones at the bottom of the neighborhood hill.

I don't know about the crushed granite. I sort of think they would like it fine as long as it's dark and there's lots of plants. Sigh...