The stream rebuild project is coming along slowly. Lots of days where it was either way too hot, raining, or I was just too busy meant that I didn't do much on it until this past weekend.
It's been a few years coming, but I finally started the stream rebuild project a couple of weeks ago. It's been silent and dry (except for rain of course) since the winter, and I miss it!
I'm quite happy with the progress I'm making on my list of projects for this summer. Thanks to Peter who convinced me that I didn't have to rebuild the entire thing but could probably just revamp it quite easily, the stream is now flowing again!
One of the main features of the patio area of my garden -- the part closest to the house -- has been the stream. I built it in 2006 and the almost constantly running water has been a source of tranquility for me and one of the things I most enjoy about the garden.
One of the main features of my garden is the stream that I built in 2006. It's next to the stairs that lead down to the patio, and has been providing both visual interest and wonderful sound to the garden for six years. It's had its problems though: the way I built it allows leaks to form, the reservoir is too small, and debris often clogs the pump.
When I added the artificial "stream" water feature to my garden in 2006, I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere it created. Its quiet, bubbly voice made a big impact, adding a calmness to the patio area that I never would have thought possible. It became so integral to the surroundings that when its first winter came around I did whatever I could to keep that water flowing.
Today I finish up 2006 (in the history of my garden) with three projects and lots of photos. I've already talked about clearing the space by having trees removed, then building the patio. The first project I'll talk about today is the main staircase to the patio.
I've been spending so much time focusing on "details" of the garden in recent posts that I feel like I haven't given you a good sense of the garden as a whole. I've shown you specific plants, and small parts of certain beds, and potted up some plants, etc. but it isn't the individual plants that are important.
The Spring of 2006 was a big one in my garden, as we had the locust trees that were closest to and overhanging the house removed. That opened up our yard in an immediate and drastic way, but left me with pretty much a blank canvas in the area right behind the house, what I referred to as "the bowl" since it was a bowl-shaped depression. My idea was to put a patio here, with a pergola for some shade since all of the trees were now gone. If you've ever had a substantial tree removed, you know how your yard can change from full shade to full, blazing sun in no time. It's a shocking, scary change, but a great opportunity to grow a bunch more sun-loving plants.
I won't get into the details of the design right now, other than to say that a key feature was going to be a much-needed staircase with a "stream" running downhill next to it.
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