Hello, my name is Barb Mrgich. I’ve been gardening on the same property for 31 years now and have contributed to GPOD once before. Each year, I usually start a new project or garden area. I started this project in the late summer on a whim when I bought an antique birdbath.
I brought it home and was looking for a good spot for it when I decided it needed to have its own little garden right in front of this hedge. The first thing I did was dig out an outline in the grass to see what I wanted the edge, shape, and size to be.
Next, I dug my outline a little deeper, then pounded some run and crush stone into my little ditch to make a footer for the landscape blocks I had bought. Then I laid my block, trying to be careful to keep it all level. I spent some time shoveling compost out of my bins to fill the area right up to the tops of the block. Then I left the project sit over the winter so that everything could settle.
In the spring when I tried to fill my birdbath, I discovered it just wouldn’t hold water, so I decided to turn it into a planter. Because it is shallow for plants, I used succulents that would handle the dry soil. I was pleased with the results.
I added a mixture of annuals and perennials to complete my new little garden, then had the remaining grass in the area bricked to blend in with the existing patio. I was happy with my results, except that next year I will move those daylilies. They tried to hide the birdbath, and the rabbits ate most of the wave petunias!
Overall, I liked the way the new garden blended into the patio area.
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