Hello there. We've been busy giving the yoga a much needed face-lift. See for yourself...
For impact sake lets see at how the garden looked when we got here. You can use that huge Sego Palm as a reference point. In back of it is a fountain that we've yet to get running but it's next on the long list of things to do around here.
It's amazing what can be accomplished with a machete and water. That lawn has cooled this area down by about 10 degrees.
Looking left. And now....
There is still work to do in this area. I am on constant bamboo watch, trimming and clearing ivy, repairing the fountain etc etc etc. But I feel like we made an room addition to the house.
I've been having morning tea out here but the evenings are really so nice. I have my eye out for some old garden furniture, but in the meantime we've been using those junk store chairs and an old wrought iron table. So that's what I've been up to. What about you?
Wow, Janet the garden looks beautifully serene. A major improvement from the before pictures. I'm sure it was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. I hope you get to enjoy it as much as possible!
ReplyDeletethank you so much, we are getting quite a bit of use out of it!
DeleteWhat a wonderful transformation!
ReplyDeleteIt is like a garden room and with your climate it will be used throughout the year!
Love the lush green lawn and the patio stone floor.
thanks leslie. that is just broken concrete.
DeleteA lot of work but so worth it!
ReplyDeletethanks terri. yep!
DeleteWhat a transformation! I keep thinking I need to start meditating on a regular basis and what a lovely space this would be in which to do it. Good thing I don't live closer or you may come out one morning to find a strange lady there.
ReplyDeleteoh that'd be great. we could start a yoga/meditation group!
DeleteA great transformation, you will get so much more enjoyment out of that plot. I have been rubbing down my adirondack chairs before I respray them red (when the rain clouds clear up...) Enjoy your lush, tranquil green.
ReplyDeletei could use a pair of adirondacks right there.
DeleteBeautifully done! A perfect place to do yoga first thing in the morning :)
ReplyDeletethank you yuko. x
DeleteFantastic!! It just looks so lush and inviting. I can imagine the amount of work you've put in to get it this far- it's beautiful.
ReplyDeletethanks jenniffer. it has been v much worth it.
DeleteMy hat is off to you and Larry. What a beautiful transformation. I do not think I would have had the will to do anything, other than let it grow wild and called it 'the rain forest' LOL.
ReplyDeleteblessings, jill
thanks jill. well i tried that but it really didn't work. lol
DeleteWow! What a transformation! I love small patches of lawn. It's like having a throw rug outdoors. And yours looks so lush. What is that ground cover under the trees? I bet it's something I can't have on the east coast.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really like those lanterns. Are they weatherproof?
To have the beginnings of a water feature. You lucky dogs!
~diane
thanks diane. the ground cover is just common ivy and the lanterns are not waterproof. they are battery operated though. i got them at world market. a package of 4 is about $10.
DeleteSo what have I been up to? Having a wonderful time - puttering and wandering along the beach, lunches out, afternoon siestas with a loved one, lying watching the clouds then feeling the gentle rain on our sun warmed bodies. Evenings reading before early to bed, slipping between cool crisp cotton sheets, gazing at the stars before falling asleep in each others arms. Waking the next morning to begin another wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteAn "old" friend becoming a new romantic loving friend, feeling pleasures anew and seeing things as if for the first time. Such clarity in new found love, bound up with shared memories. To hear again that I'm loved so much brings tears to my eyes.
Well you did ask what I'd been up to!
Wow! I want what you're drinking! Perfection....
DeleteCan I have your life?
DeleteYES. waitress, I'll have what she's having!
Deleteamazing, janet. I showed someone our well shaded terrace recently and she asked if we use it for yoga. such a great idea. donna
ReplyDeletethanks donna. x
DeleteHow beautiful! You've done a great job on your yoga garden. As for the bamboo, ours here in the southeast is invasive!
ReplyDeletethank you and isn't invasive bamboo just about the worst garden plant!
DeleteHi Janet! Happy summer to you girl! I love your garden so much however...your chairs look so uncomfortable?! I think we should just sit on the grass ok?
ReplyDeletexo kelley
they are not ideal but will have to do the job until a better solution is found. :)
DeleteCan we get a shot of the ancient pepper tree? Possible to get it all into one frame?
ReplyDeletethe ancient pepper tree is in the laundry garden. it just got a major trimming. i don't know if it can all fit into one frame. i will try!
DeleteMy goodness. You have created such a peaceful and serene looking area in which to practice your yoga, and meditate! I love the after dark snap as well. Did your trip to Hawaii influence this area? And may I ask, (don't need details, just wondering) how is your goal to pay off the mortgage coming along? Are you still on track? xx
ReplyDeletehi mona. thanks. the trip to hawaii was so inspiring but we had already started on it before i went. we are still working on our goals. there have been many bumps in the road over this past 6 weeks and still a couple more are coming. we have still been able to pay extra on the mortgage but not as much as prior to these circumstances.
DeleteI was talking to a neighbor of mine last night who fled Europe and political strife/war-plagued country probably 35 years ago with basically nothing but the clothes on their backs. Really inspiring, how hard they worked to be able to own a home and make a good life (raised a couple of kids, too). She said their monthly mortgage payment was about $850 at the time and they made a commitment in the last five years before retirement to work more hours, really buckle down and instead pay $2500/month because their #1 goal was to not take a mortgage payment or rent payment into retirement. They weren't high wage earners and she said they had zero money for anything in those five years (I know they have a large veggie garden and multiple fruit trees but I intend to ask how they ate!); however, they met their mortgage goal. Her husband salvages anything you can imagine; recycle, recycle...rather than jumping to buy, buy. Comfortable enough, by no means rich, but debt-free in their 60s. Example of 'it can be done.'
Deletei love this story vicki. i admire that level of commitment. i feel like i'm pretty frugal but that's a triple payment they made. that's amazing! they are a great example of the fact that being rich doesn't necessarily have anything to do with money. i always told my boys that we were rich in love. lol, they still tease me about that.
DeleteToe-wiggling goodness! Wow. You actually DO have to use the reference point. Good for your guys....such an accomplishment. Feels so good to see such a huge change, doesn't it? Now that you have FORCED me to use IG, Ive (fourhens) followed you, but it seems we have similar statuary living with us! I just posted an IG the other day with one similar. (Maybe we were related in another life?) Very cool...
ReplyDeletethanks lor. stephen andrew was right, i'm already getting tired of IG. it's all just too much!!!
DeleteJanet--found your blog through another blog (you know how it is :)) and absolutely love your simple lifestyle. My husband and I are in our early 30s, no kids, but we also want to keep things more simple: no debt, fewer "things" and a home that is just right for us. I've been enjoying catching up on all your posts the past few days. Don't know if I could ever go vegan (my husband certainly doesn't want to!) but it's still intriguing to read about all your vegan recipes and the lifestyle, as my younger brother used to be vegan--now vegetarian. Look forward to reading much more!
ReplyDeleteoh thank you violinista. how v sweet of you to leave such a nice comment. glad some of the things you found here have resonated with you.
DeleteHi Janet, wow, I'm really admiring your garden, its beautiful and so lush. I enjoy reading and your yard would be very relaxing to do just that. That must have been a lot of work. Did you put in grass seed or sod?
ReplyDeletethanks cherre. it's like 3 applications of grass seed.
DeleteWow, after I said that , I thought, no it must be sod! Gosh, that's amazing, so lush and beautiful. Thank you for the reply, it gives me hope. :-)
DeleteWhat a fantastic transform, so tranquil and well established. x
ReplyDeletethanks vix. :)
DeleteSo lovely. I worry what you'll do with that gorgeous grass if/when water rationing hits although it's not a huge expanse of lawn; it's just that I've been thru rationing and the lawns are among the first to go if you're trying to save flowers, trees and/or edible landscape. (I guess this is a downer thing to inject into a nice post; sorry!) The pavers with the seating area are a super-nice touch. You've created a lovely tuckaway spot. I too have been enjoying the nights to cool off from our days, which seem to be running in the high 80s/low 90s (F); no bugs yet, at least close to the house. It's quite humid, so the skies muck up early and the stars aren't very visible, but I'm glad for no mosquitoes...yet. I meant to say that I also like your walk-path pavers over the grass. In my ongoing 'thinking, thinking' of how to xeriscape the front yard and not be a concrete jungle, breaking up the walkways with pavers seems to be a cheaper way to go with a much better aesthetic; plus, too much concrete does invite too much heat, as I was so reminded when you said the lawn has cooled down your yoga garden. Congrats on doing such a nice job for your special space; you have a lot of good ideas for indoor/outdoor design. Were you inspired by something you saw in Kauai...no, that would be too recent; rather, local public gardens you frequent? Local nursery? Friends?
ReplyDeletehi vicki, well yes that is an issue. it's a very drought tolerant grass and not a very big area. once it is really established it will require 2 waterings a week which isn't bad. it has cooled the area so much and it just invites us out of the house now. i will keep you posted if we fall under water rationing and the outcome. the real inspiration was Henry, the original gardener here. we just rejuvenated what he had done. getting that fountain working will really be awesome b/c he built that himself.
Deletelooks so good!!! love it and the chairs are so nice. My poor garden is so dry and dead! And water is so expensive…we long for rain xxx
ReplyDeletethanks k. x
DeleteHow serene & quiet & beautiful. The evening view is particularly charming, in my opinion...And I like the "junk chairs & table". (Comfort-ability would be the only reason I could think of to change them.)
ReplyDeletethanks rebecca. i like the chairs too. they are great for eating but really lingering and lounging, they are not ideal. x
DeleteDon't I know the work necessary to make something so green and serene out of nothing. But how beautiful are your results. Garden rooms are my favorite rooms.
ReplyDeletereally jane, the bones were here. just very neglected. we just revitalized it all. thanks!
DeleteSince you ask, I have been painting several rooms in my apartment that seemed to be painted 'dirty beige'. I was very pleased to learn your walls were painted in Simply white because that was one of the 2 choices on the Ben Moore whites chart I had arrived at, so that knocked out the other one. I enjoy painting, find it very relaxing. I can't manage a roller because of a wonky shoulder but it doesn't complain with a brush which gives great results. I finished painting the last of the hallway on July 4th and thought it looked odd compared to the rest of it. When I was cleaning the brush I happened to glance at the new tin ( which I had purchased the day before) and the computer had mixed me 'White Dove'! Good thing I enjoy painting as I was doing those walls over on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteLove your yoga garden. I really appreciate your efforts to create such a serene blog - the pictures, the placement, the typeface and the lack of distractions on the side. Thank you for bringing inspiration to so many of us.
thank you marguerite. i like to paint too. it's soothing and delivers really great results so fast. although i don't know if i like it as much as you do. that paint error would have made me v unhappy. lol
DeleteInspiring!! Getting out my garden shears pronto!!
ReplyDeletethanks. haha!
DeleteI just bought a new home and your garden gives me so much inspiration Janet! I love the idea of a serene spot for tea. And I already have a buddha statue. Check. My climate is not as good as yours, year round. Btw, sorry to ask here but I can't find another way to communicate to you. Any comments about University of Redlands? Would love your option, insights. My son is going to tour it at the end of July, along with some other private colleges in So. Cal.
ReplyDeletethanks emily. you can contact me at janetkorff@gmail.com
Deletethe u of r is a great school. i really need to do a post on it. it's so beautiful.
Thank you Janet! A smaller private liberal arts school is what he wants. I will give you feedback after he visits.
Deletethat would be opinion!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! Your hard work and inspired ideas have really paid off -- a wonderful garden retreat!! Very well done indeed! :)
ReplyDeleteJan at rosemary Cottage
Wowee, you have a massive backyard and so gloriously tropical, bit like the Hawaii you just left. I would love to venture out with machete in hand, that is my kind of activity (pre cocktails not after...)
ReplyDeletehaha, it really is not massive at all. but the original gardener here did set it up into little rooms which makes it kinda cool.
DeleteVery very beautiful Janet! Hard work and a little water really pas off! What a wonderful added space!
ReplyDeleteI could use a meditation garden about now....can I come sit in yours? :) It's sweet that it all still remains the Gardener's Cottage.
ReplyDeleteHello Janet!
ReplyDeleteYour yard is so beautiful and your blog is an inspiration for me to simplify.
What kind of grass seed did you sow?
Sincerely,
Debra from SE NC
hi debra, i don't know the specific name as larry bought it from the nursery but i do know that it is a drought tolerant tall fescue.
DeleteThanks..
ReplyDeleteJanet, your blog is so inspiring, there is a real risk that I might do some gardening one day...
ReplyDelete