Wide Shots - The Dry Garden

This month I'm using my wide shots post to take a closer look at my dry garden, which sits on the northeast side of the house.  Although I hadn't placed a priority on this area, by happenstance it was the first one I tackled after we moved here in late December 2010.  The driving force behind my initial effort was to create a path through the area to enter the hidden slope at the back of the property.  The area was originally half grass, in terrible condition even in winter, and contained a hodge-podge of fruit trees.  I have no "before" photos.  The earliest photo was one taken by my brother in December 2011, after we'd already pulled out the lawn, installed a gravel pathway, removed a few poorly performing (and over-crowded) fruit trees, and begun introducing drought tolerant plants.

The resin solar birdbath shown here was a housewarming gift from my mother-in-law.  It didn't hold up to the weather and has been replaced with a birdbath-style succulent planter.  (Photo courtesy of ericnp.net)

My earliest photos of the area, taken in May 2013, featured the garden at the height of spring bloom.

While the dry garden was also more colorful in spring 2014 and 2015, I don't think it's looked this good since irrigation levels were cut back in early 2014

It wasn't nearly as colorful in July 2013.

There were more evergreen perennials and fewer succulents in 2013 than there are today

My first wide shot post showing the dry garden was published in December 2013.  The view was much more somber than the colorful spring photos but many of the elements of the current garden were already in place.

The photo on the left was taken from the side yard patio and the photo on the right from the backyard lawn area

Photos taken for my November 2014 wide shots post show more mature plants but the thyme groundcover shown in my 2013 photos had died back.

It apparently rained on November 1st last year.  No such luck this year, although there is a slight chance of rain on Monday evening.

Here are the photos of the dry garden today.

Photo taken from side patio

Photo taken from outer edge of the backyard

Photo taken from the end of the gravel path as it extends down the back slope, looking back at the house

Photo from the slope looking back toward the house

I'm not going to show wide shots of the rest of the garden this month.  The backyard is still torn up, although we're almost done clearing the grass roots and sod netting from the former lawn area in preparation for adding topsoil to improve drainage.  It's been a long, slow, painful process (and I haven't even begun work on the former lawn area inside the hedge along the street).  I really underestimated the scope of this project - the area is significantly larger than the front yard area we tackled last year.  The last section of the former lawn area in the backyard nearest to the dry garden has been the most difficult.  Each shovelful of soil is 25-33% rocks, some as large as my fist but most gravel size.  All this rock is being used elsewhere, mostly as gravel mulch.

The former backyard lawn area, photographed from near its terminus looking south

My thanks, as always, to Heather of Xericstyle for starting me off on the process of looking at the bigger picture in my garden.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party