A Secret No More

Another week and another triple post for me. First, Blue Monday is being hosted by Sally. Go to http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ to see more beautiful blues.

Next comes Metamorphosis Monday, which is being hosted by Susan. To see more amazing transformations, go visit http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com .

Last but not least is Mosaic Monday. To see more creative mosaics, go visit Mary at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

My blue contribution is a blue vase and a labradorite pictured above in a mosaic. The labradorite is more than 4.5 lbs and is 5 x 7 inches in dimension. Do you see the lovely sheen on it? It changes as it moves. We bought it when Natchez was having an annual jewelry and semi precious stones expo, which occurs during the Balloon Festival season. I did not want to buy it because I thought it was too expensive but John insisted. Oh well, he is the one working so what can I say? LOL!

Before I go on with Met. Mon, I would just like to remind Mississipppi Magnolia Southern belles about our get together on June 5th. Please email me if you are interested in attending. Hey! You get FREE home made lunch and lots of fun for sure so what have you got to lose? :-)Please email me for any questions or specifics.

So far, 6 plus me (that's 7) have committed. We are hoping more belles will join us.
Ok, now for my Secret Garden revelation. My granddaughter was the first one who came up with naming this the secret garden because you cannot see it from the house nor the deck unless you go all the way to the edge.

This was a big project and it is still ongoing so please excuse me for loading many pictures.

This is how it used to be. It was really bad! I wouldn't even go down there because it was so messy and bushy and I am terrified of snakes.

Still pretty bad! Yikes!

We added railroad ties to prevent the soil from eroding.

Looking a little better after I swept most of the leaves and planted more. There are still spaces that look like they need more plants but lots of little plants from last year are coming up and I do not want to dig them out. I will just have to wait for them to grow bigger.

We can access the secret garden from 3 areas: the gazebo, the wet deck and near the vegetable garden.

Now, I can live with this look. I am really proud of this area because I did most of the work except for the initial cleaning and cutting of the bushes. Last year, I had 2 part time garden helpers but I could not find them this year. Maybe they found a job which is good for them but not for me cause I am doing all the work now.


This is the view from where the veggie garden is.

I just love those 2 lanterns by the stepping stones. I bought them from Kirkland's when we went to Pensacola last Saturday. I wish I bought more. They were only $9.99 each.
We dug that heavy solid stone rocker from behind the bushes. It was like half buried from eroded soil and leaves.

I replaced the mulch with red rocks because I hose from above and it used to wash the mulch down every time I watered. The red rocks are heavier so they stay even when I water,

We bought the iron swing from a garden shop in Baton Rouge and then created a sitting area there.

This is the view from the gazebo.

I am still looking for a tin sign saying "My Secret Garden" I want something big (about 15" tall and 36" long, more or less) to hang on that retaining wall. I planted sweet potato vines and prostrate rosemarie on top of the wall and hopefully they will cascade down when they grow longer.

John wants to put chicken wire against the wall and hang some orchids on it. Which idea do you think is better?

I want to hang a hammock between the 2 big trees on the right. You do not really see the other tree in this picture.

I am not afraid to go down there anymore. I can actually sit on the swing, enjoy the peace, watch the squirrels and chipmunks play while listening to the birds sing.

Just another place for tea.

The hostas and bananas are just starting to come out. I broke a St. Francis statue last year and I just found this solid heavy stone one last weekend and replaced the broken one.

I had my picture taken for you to see how much lower this area is than the other part of the yard.

Have you ever wondered what is behind the iron fence back there? The last pictures will show you.

This is another area of the yard. I just want to show what is behind the arbor. It's another sloping yard. Behind the fence is a creek and I still do not go back there. Water mocassins?.....eeks! Do you see the iris plants in front of the fence? They have to thrive on their own because even with a 120 ft. hose, the water does not reach them.

Tea time post coming up here soon!

Below is what is behind the iron fence. This is the side of our house. The house sitting on top of a hill is more apparent here. This was taken from the right front corner.

You can see the other side of the fence in the second picture. Can you spot the vegetable garden up there?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our secret garden. Thanks a lot for visiting and commenting.

Thank you Sally, Mary and Susan for hosting.