Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Walkabout

I decided to try Blackswamp Girl's from A Study in Contrasts idea of a neighborhood walk. As I no longer have a dog, the photos are not blurry.

What I noticed is that the houses with the most interesting gardens/landscaping tended to be those on a corner, such as this one. It makes the most of its location. What I particularly like are the plants hanging on the wall. This is of the same property from another angle.
And yes, that's a Japanese maple by the yellow Hosta. Clearly, these people are much braver than I. I like the use of the different colored foliage of the maple, the Hosta, and the conifer.

This house may have 60's suburbia written all over it, but the front garden makes up for that. The garden has interesting textures and colors, a welcome change from the standard green meatball foundation planting. Click on the picture to enlarge.
Around the corner on Main Street is this historic house, also on a corner.
A large tree here was damaged in the recent storm and had to be taken down. This photo was taken from the sidewalk, which is screened from the property by a mixed hedgerow.
Finally, here's another corner lot that shows no reluctance to put the garden in front. This garden is packed with interest year round. Aside from the dense and varied planting, what makes this garden special is its use of hardscaping. Now that's what I call a focal point. I guess the Corydaline (if that's what it is) in the pot qualifies for a NIMG (Not in My Garden). It's beautiful, but it would not belong at Squirrel Haven.

Yes, that's the name I've decided on (it was that or Mosquito Manor, and the squirrels are here all year). Here's the front garden at Squirrel Haven, the Faux Prairie.

Mine is the only front yard on the street with a garden in bloom now. Maybe I'll do another walkabout next Spring.

6 comments:

Blackswamp_Girl said...

What a great tour! I grinned at the NIMG mention for the cordyline... because that is indeed a cordyline, and I know this because I have one in a pot on my driveway. *grin* Your prairie bed at Squirrel Haven rocks... I love the texture changes with the grasses and the big leaves of those asclepias. What is tree with the cool shape in the back of that bed?

The corner lot with the great hardscaping was my second favorite. And like you, I really liked that the other corner lot people hung plants on their wall to pretty up that side.

Dirty Knees said...

Thank you for the tour of your neighbourhood. It was great fun. Everything looks so green in Illinois compared to what it looks like here in Ontario.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Blackswamp girl - the tree at the back of the bed is some form of Magnolia stellata. It was here when I bought the house. It's either 'Royal Star' or 'Centennial.' Whatever it is, I love it. It blooms later than other stellatas so its blooms were not damamged by the April freeze this year, unlike everyone else's around here.
Dirty Knees - everything should look green around here, we had nearly 2 weeks of straight rain and ended up about 10" above average rainfall for August. Usually our grass is a crispy tan at this point. Thanks for joining the tour. I'm glad you liked it.

Pam/Digging said...

I enjoyed your walkabout. Your neighborhood is very scenic. All those front-yard gardens must make for nice walks.

I did a walkabout a few posts ago. It's fun to see what the different neighborhoods look like, isn't it?

Moe said...

Great pics! Thanks for the buttonbush ID. I gave you credit!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Pam - I agree - to quote a bad 70s song, "You can take trip, and never leave the farm."

Moe - thanks for visiting! I'm glad I could be of service IDing the plant.