The Birth of a Small Container Flower Garden
5 Perennials For Shade GardensWe all know that flowers love sunshine, but did you realize that there are perennials that love the shade' You can create a beautiful garden in the shade that can act as a ..... The Birth of a Small Container Flower Garden
This is the first in a series of essays on how I am converting a small (12' x 16') yard in Cody, Wyoming (USA) from a barren wasteland of pea gravel and total shade to a useful summer room that is a delight to the senses. I am doing this from April to October, with a budget of about $100 (US) per month. Please come along with me on this journey. I expect it to be fun, educational, frustrating and I'll love your company.
When you think of Wyoming, you probably picture vast forests, beautiful meadows, big game and Old Faithful. All that is here, but it's not in Cody. Situated at the eastern gate to Yellowstone National Park, Cody was founded in 1900 by Buffalo Bill Cody. His Irma Hotel (two blocks from my house) is still in operation.
Cody is in USDA Zone 4 and gets about 13" of rain per year. I am writing this on April 15 and so far we've had about 2.5" of moisture. We are in a "rain shadow" created by the mountains in Yellowstone. Moisture coming in from the west rises up to the Continental Divide and drops right there. I can see this in action when I stand in my kitchen window and watch the huge clouds evaporate as they sail in from the west.
We moved into this rental house in January. The yard looked like any yard in January - brown and bare. But I looked at all that pea gravel and no sign of grass and the row of shaggy unkempt elm trees and knew what I was facing. So I began to plan.
Of course the first stop is always the http://www.garden-source.com/Gardening-Books.php
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