Gardens @ MindSay

The problem is that I am wearing a Cheong and Skirt  which was worn in the Qing ( formerly Ching or Manchu) Dynasty... the last Dynasty before the republic. The dress porn in the Ming (1368-1644) dynasty was a Hanfu - more like a kimono and very flowing and silky as the women who would have lived in a scholars' garden would not have done any work - in fact the Mings were still binding feet- whereas the Manchus stopped that practice. And I think a Hanfu would be lovely but totally impractical so... as you can see above... I took a costume from the next dynasty. On cold days I wear a black and white Scholar's gown which is lined and very warm and the long sleeves are great on a chilly day as I can hide my fingers up my sleeves. today is forecast to be in the 70's so I wanted something cooler. If you ever go to Portland make it a point to stop and visit the gardens

my north patio is almost finished.  this is right off the french doors leading to the tiled foyer. It's east of the more formal front door  ( where jim built the decking and I have a small gurgling water pile. Now the patio is  enclosed now just for us. I harvested the moss, jim power washed  the patio surface and we got some new  (very cheap) furniture to make another seating group. friends are coming from Seattle over memorial day and then the first week in June we have great pals from denver coming to see us.

so everything is ready just in time. I just need to trade the green butterfly chairs for the blue and add an unused trellis to the fall the support the faux wisteria. don't laugh. I don't mind fake plants, they never die.  in case you wonder .... the grill is hiiddenon the front porch where it's covered during rain and  just a few steps from the kitchen. Oh my heavens I love this home and city and this life we finally carved from the ashes of misery and depression. Go girl... right?

Being a true Cancerian and with the price of gas, we are going to be spending more time in our backyard than ever.  After working really hard rebuilding our kitchen and bathroom, we tackled the backyard, this time with help both from a landscaper and a yardworker, though my spouse & I spent lots of time working on it also.  My younger son has done all the arbors, trellises, etc.  The garden gate (one of 3) is being built right now (unfinished, the 3rd photo), in the Japanese tradition, which fits with Victorian homes.  It will have a roof and an inset gate, which he is designing right now, most likely with some metalwork, as he does that also.  This has been an incredible amount of work, but it is coming together.  There are construction messes around, and the little building in the garden is not finished either.  The water tower is the large two-story building that you see near one of the arbors.  In the west, the old homes had water towers, which had a large water tank on top to hold water from the wells and from winter rains.

 

All the plants are newly transplanted so they are pretty small though they have already begun to grow.  The exception is the side garden, which still has most of my old plantings.  The arbors and trellises will all have roses, clematis, jasmine and other climbers eventually. 

good thing I woke early and hit the front yard as it's now raining again. I managed to eliminate one large half dead shrub, take down a small rock wall that was buried under years of dirt and reposition them around the "water" aka mud. It will take a few days for all the mud so sink and let me clear it out so it looks more black or maybe even green... especially the water fall.. hahahaha... well not quite.


But the redwood against the violets looks great and my columbines are blooming as is the jack in the pulpit hidden within the maidenhair ferns. and now jim is building a raised bed within part of the redwood walkway and i will plant gypsophylia from seed. always good to have and such a heavenly scent. My paltry little peony has not died .......yet. I will be amazed if next year it really takes over. Now i just have to finish hiding the black rubber that lines the muddy hole, get my stone pagoda, do something to hide the electricity post, and plant the remaining ajuga along the water's edges. Yahoo !!!

The other great thing is the full bath off the garden room. once again I came into the house literally covered in mud.... stripped down to bare skin, jumped in the shower and wrapped in a towel. tossed the muddy gardening clothes into the washer and came upstairs all clean and ready for warm clothing. The weather predictions which are REALLY laughable out here is for weather in the 80's later in the week so Jim and I will head straight for cannon beach  or tillamook. anyone want some cheese?

so I have already learned that our ( our as in Portland's not our yard)  garden is based on a private garden in suzhou, in southern china... quite different from imperial gardens as this type is an extended part of the home.... sorta like americans who use their backyards and gazebos. the different pavilions were used as studies, family rooms,  dining room etc.

and there are five elements required for a classical chinese garden:
four are easy: architecture - rock- water- plants.

but the fifth is
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.
.
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poetry. way cool I say. this is going to have everything i like about volunteering. I just have to bring my own sun block and hat.