No Cost Landscaping

Hello from the little town of Parsley!

So far, Parsley has survived rain, cold temperatures, and prowling critters. Today I want to share some of the placement and planting stories.

Barn and Farm House

Entire placement depended upon the proximity of the barn to the stone path. I have had the barn for a long time - my husband buying it on a trip and bringing it home. His intent was that we would have it in our yard for future grandchildren. The barn and animals are cast iron - very heavy; I have no idea how he carried them around on his business trip. Barn nor animals will ever tumble over in a windstorm like the resin houses can. My plan is to have the animals near the path for our three-year-old grandson to move around in the little pasture. They will not be too heavy for him either!

Barn and Houses

The rest of the placement involves a staggering of five various cottages and tiny homes that work well with whatever perspective the viewer may have from my home or different garden paths. Each abode is on a flat rock that protects the building from the damp earth and that I can easily level - but as you can see, I have not accomplished that perfect balance so far.

Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'

My plan always is to use first what I already have. To accomplish this step, I can never call this garden a miniature garden because that name goes officially with gardens that have miniature plants. Also Parsley is not a fairy garden because there are no fairy statuettes.

What I do have are small perennial groundcovers that are deer resistant and provide slope erosion control.

The first is Sedum rupestre Angelina, growing to 4 inches tall that has bright golden foliage that turns orange in fall.

Ajuga reptans

Second is ajuga. With spring, the ajuga is beginning to show great foliage of chocolate-purple to reddish bronze. While Angelina enjoys sunnier spots, ajuga will go to part or full shade. Ajuga will also like being near the rocks and moist, porous timbers. Later this spring, ajuga will have spikes of blue flowers. Height will be under six inches. It, too, is deer resistant and low maintenance.

Vinca minor

Third, I have transplanted vinca minor, an amazing groundcover that grows very quickly (invasive for some gardeners), has very shiny green foliage, and produces blue flowers. Even this small version seems a little too big for Parsley, so I will use it as a background to frame the town view.

Another groundcover I use to frame the view is creeping phlox. This slow-growing perennial likes full sun and allows other plants like spring bulbs to grow throughout its spreading beauty. Here is the blue creeping phlox in my front yard. I have plenty to choose for planting - remembering creeping phlox likes a moist first start.

Phlox subulata

Bishop's Weed: Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'

Bishop's Weed will also be a vigorous framing plant in the shade where it has plenty room to spread.

Another rampant evergreen groundcover     is Creeping Jenny. This creeper does not mind damp soil, foot traffic, or other groundcovers. Invasive, this plant can be divided in spring or autumn and likes full  sun for its best color.

I planted only a few of each of these vigorous spreaders. Having these plants always insures that there is something to share or transplant.

Creeping Jenny: Lysimachia nummularia

To date, my Little Town landscaping has costs me nothing because I transplanted what I already had in my garden. My final post in this initial series will be about seeding and purchasing a few plants on my wishlist. See you then!

Little Town Planning

Ever since I read The Borrowers at Isabella Elementary School, I have been fascinated with miniatures. Much of the art in my home consists of houses, and I have a collection of miniature English cottages, mills, castles, and villages. My husband shared that love, so today I have a playroom with a beautiful dollhouse and a huge train layout. If you have been following this blog you saw the latter here. You may have also seen my inspiration for an outdoor Little Town here. When you have time, go back and enjoy the tours. For now, I want to share my progress with my outdoor Little Town.

The actual planning began one year ago because I have had many structural projects after storm damage. Once the trees and debris were clear, I began to see what I had left. Remaining were the beautiful sunny areas that my husband had established; destroyed were all my shade gardens. I had a new canvas, and the rainy summer helped my rooting projects - forty new hydrangeas and an abundance of sedum, miniature vinca, ajuga, and creeping jenny. My shady areas are now bare or cleaned, so I have much potential work for the spring.

Thinking of my garden rooms already connected with stone paths, I planned new areas, a budget, and schedule determined by weather conditions and planting seasons. The most fun research happened on Pinterest. My fairy garden board became the most popular one, with the most followers and re-pins. And as my style, I began with "If Anything is Possible." Here is my vision (without the fairies for I am more of a "Borrower").

Pinterest Video Link with Sound; YouTube Video Link without Sound

Not ready to build my own hypertufa houses or invest in the best, I chose the resin houses at Plow and Hearth. My three-year-old grandson brought them in the den to play throughout the winter. I spent the winter sketching ideas.

Location? I chose a place that I could see from my kitchen window and from every back window upstairs. This area is part of my husband's daylily terrace garden that was too shady for lilies. The first week of spring, I contoured the area with compost and soil. I had to re-enforce the rotting beams which, of course, will be porous and perfect for moss.

View from upstairs

View from my kitchen window

The name of this Little Town? On the morning of the day I started in the dirt, I won a door prize at my garden club meeting. Here is the copper garden stake and a wonderful name for this Little Town Garden.

The Little Town of PARSLEY

The next posts will be about gathering moss, making moss milkshakes, seeding, and borrowing plants from other areas of the yard. I hope that you visit again!

Next Post: gathering moss, making moss milkshakes, seeding, borrowing from existing plants