MyLake

My "Lake"

My Garden
    A New Start-June'07 Garden
    My 55th Bday Garden Stroll
    Phoenix & Meditation
    MyLake
      Lake Pictures
      Blue Plants
        Plants in the lake garden
        Other Blue Plants
    Kitchen & Patriotic
      The Patriotic Bed
    Back Garden
      View from carport
      View from Back Patio
      View Along the Way
      Yellow Bench Patio Area
    Angels and Fairies
    Spring 2006

My Lake or Singing the Blues
If you need a way to include a water element but can't have actual water maybe the story of my lake will help. There is a low spot where water gathers in my front garden.The thing is I really wanted a pond there.The lowest part,(6x8')that holds water except in extreme drought,seemed ideal to start with.Dreams of making an entire open area here, about24x44',into a lovely large water garden danced through my head. How happy waterlilys & Lotus would be here. It's next to the woodland path that leads to a meadow. I can just see wildlife stopping by for a drink. OK, so admit at the time I didn't think said wildlife would also stop to munch my plants along the way.
My husband did.He lay foot down here "No Pond!" An acre of gardens for a man who doesn't garden and whose ideal is "gumball" shrubs across the front,period, he let slide. He loves me and after 29 yrs, he'd waved the white flag and even began to brag on me at work.Until Now.No pond equals no snakes in his eyes.What can I say? Even though my dog had already saved me from a rattlesnake in the garden, there does have to be some compromise in a marriage.

One day I sat on my front porch uphill from this area thinking how I'd like to look down to a lake of blue.Light Bulb! If I can't have a real water garden why not a fake one? Excitement bubbled. Research is fun for me and here I go, my mind whirling: Blue,Blue,Blue!Of course!Blue gardens here,in the shape of a pond with the wet bog garden at one end. Paths that eventually will have purple and white edged Ajuga blue blooming ground cover with turtle stepping stones I'm making,wind thru.I let the wild blue ageratum stay that was already grew there. I moved bog sage, Loiusiana Iris and blue stoksia seedlings into the wet sand areas. Then I dug in tons of leaves and compost building raised beds. That fall I Planted blue larkspur that didn't come up and blue sweet peas that had vines but no flowers,got too hot too fast. The blue love in a mist bloomed in July. That fall I had a ball reading about and ordering blue flowering perennials. I'd been tempted to move blues from under my roses but resisted. Large beds looked awfully bare come May.This called for trips to the nursery for Plumbago and Blue Daze.I Just knew it was going to look so pretty.

By the end of May I was singing the blues. It was not the dream I had. In fact, from my porch I could not even see the blue blooms. One day at a friend's nursery I came across a deep kind of wine purple leaf plant, thought Ah!Ha! I'll put these and other dark purple foliage plants next to the pastle blue plumbagos so they will show each other up. Up close it worked.I just love the combonation.From my porch still blah looking,not lake looking.Then came the fairy on a lily pad statue and painted sculptures of fish. Really cute. Up Close. About that time my Graham Thomas rose bloomed for the first time in the back garden. UH!OH!That bright yellow does not belong in my pastel bed. I could not find a home I liked for it in an existing bed. I stuck it at the far end of the lake bed to hold it till the fall when new beds where planted. At the same time an order of yellow swamp sunflowers came in. Their beds not ready yet they went in the bog at the front side of the "lake".
Late August, up on the front porch again, trying to catch a breeze, my gaze wandered down to my Lake", such a pretty blue lake.

Wait! Blue?! It seems the yellow rose and sunflowers showed up the blue. My bedroom is blue and yellow I should have known.I was so determined it be all blue and now I saw the light, literally. The yellow lights up the recessive blues-and all I needed was two plants. I now think of yellow flowers whithin the lake as Sunshine shining across the water of my lake,
I recommend that you use a few warm colors in whith or behind your blue beds if seen from a distance. If in part shade, white sparkels with blue beds. Another addition to a fake water garden is to sink a large tub with lotus in it surrounded with bluegroundcovers so that the lotus stands out. A bog garden at the edge is a fun opportunity for different plants. I added "fish", a bouy,even a pirate's head!I've just bought a mermaid windchimes to hang from my arch entrance once the multi blue clematis covers it. I want a row boat as seating if I find a small one. Have fun creating your lake. Check back as I add new blue plants and the ones I already have come into bloom. Go to "lake pictures" button to the side to see overall lake pictures and go to "Blue Plants" for individual blue plant's pictures.

| Lake Pictures | Blue Plants |