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dolorsofmary
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| Posted: May 29 2010 at 6:34am | IP Logged
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http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid= b308620d75cee5b7&sid=0AcMmrJu0Ys2TO0A (I tweaked the address since it was not coming up right) please if you have tried to see the pics, try again now, thank you!)
On our lady's feast days we try (depending on the weather) to honor our lady with a crown and we take pictures and whatnot with my son who will be 5 in August. I want to continue to honor our Lady in the best way but to also honor our home too since it needs a LOT of help I think!
I hope you can see my pictures. many homes in my neighborhood have beautiful landscapes. we have always spent our money on the ugly things around the house that are really necessary. I hope I can fix this up for little. What I did and why it looks like this now:
on the left side of the pictures are 3 rhododendrons. I trimmed them yesterday to be like a hedge but I am thinking of trimming them more. On the right side of the photos where Mary is (and I'm planning on keeping Mary of course but I am open to changing her location if needed) I had from left to right, an overgrown but gangly (had a lot of holes (open spaces between branches (not holes in leaves) and stuff) rhodo which I greatly trimmed down and got rid of the open spaces; then a very full, thick overgrown rhodo who was blocking Mary somewhat which I seriously trimmed down and I have to say I think I did a good job and I am inclined to do the same on the left side of the house with the 3 rhodos in the row that are in a hedge formation; and then nothing until this April where I finally replaced a since very deceased rhodo with a new one, still small of course. I'm thinking of adding some more green little bushes, that is maybe some hosta that has white and green leaves or the yellow/green small conifer bush, but yellow might not be the best choice here. Over all I want it to be beautiful, cheap and most of all to honor our Lady. I usually use fake flowers for Our Lady. I have a bunch (different ones for each season except summer so far (I'm going to get some roses for her) but I don't know. I really want her too look like she belongs. Some would put her in the backyard but I want her in the front yard. I want her to stay I don't want to move her too forward because I don't want her to get tipped. She is cement, extremely heavy and about hip high on me (I'm 5'6") Yes I want it all. I know I and my husband have to clean up the ground. I am thinking of just ripping out the grass that was exposed underneath and behind the rhodos. I am afraid to put down mulch because we live in termite country and yes we do have a termite guy but I know termites like mulch becuase what is it? wood chips! and so you are not supposed to put it up against the house but everyone does this. I guess there is treated mulch? also I know there is rubber mulch but I've heard it is very expensive. I guess we need that plastic underneath to helps to prevent the grass from popping back up - more expense! I think simply cleaning up can help a lot, then add some bushes too. I want to have a plan. Your ideas please? Thank you!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: May 29 2010 at 9:08am | IP Logged
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Dolorsofmary Pictures
Here's the link to your pictures. You really need to use the Add Hyperlink command to put in a url.. a straight url like you typed above will be broken by the software of the board by a space being inserted.
Anyway there's lots of choices of either ground cover or flowers taht would stay short for in front of Mary and then taller ones for behind. You don't seem to want flowers though? more ground cover or bushes?
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Teachin'Mine2
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| Posted: May 29 2010 at 5:45pm | IP Logged
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You've got a nice sunny location where she is. Your statue is so beautiful!!! Why not showcase her even more by taking some concrete "stepping stones", stacking maybe two or three, and raising her up a bit. They sell them at the home centers and you can get either square or round ones. This would automatically prevent grass or weeds directly around the statue. What about a landscape rose bush planted directly behind the statue? These rose bushes will flower all summer and into the fall. They start out small and low, but will easily grow to be taller than the statue and will provide a beautiful backdrop. The only caveat is that they do look nicer with regular deadheading. This is easily done with tiny scissor type pruners.
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: May 29 2010 at 6:45pm | IP Logged
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If you do a search for Mary Gardens, you'll probably find many additional ideas for enhancing the lovely area you already have. You did a very nice job with the rhododendrons and your statue is beautiful...it makes a meaningful and inspiring central focal point where you've placed it.
Here's a web address that refers to many plants that honor Mary:
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/m_garden/marygarden smain.html
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dolorsofmary
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| Posted: June 01 2010 at 10:45am | IP Logged
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well I took pictures of my front lawn and I then photoshopped it using suggestions you and others gave me and with photos of neighbors bushes. Please give me your take on this. It will be an investment. I think the most important thing I need to do is move Mary forward and put something green behind her. I cannot lift her up because she is made of cement and my husband has a hernia in his tummy.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcMmrJu0Ys2T O8g
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dolorsofmary
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| Posted: June 01 2010 at 8:27pm | IP Logged
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Well I found a rhododendren at Lowe's and I took it home all excited. We moved Mary to plant it behind her but no go. We had to move her back. She needs a back drop. But she weighs easily 150 - 175 lbs! If we move her forward to plant something behind her, she becomes a safety hazard! we have her presently very close to the house, about 2 inches and she has never ever been a hazard or tampered with. So we put her back. Not sure what to do? Maybe getting fake very very large ferns to go behind her. Maybe making a structure out of something? I could use a trellis but its more white, she is white, the trellis is white, and the banister behind her is white. Ok spring and summer flowers fine but then in the winter, hmm... She is too tall for the typical back structure ( like a bathtub placed vertically sort of)
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: June 01 2010 at 9:21pm | IP Logged
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How lovely! Since you asked for suggestions, I have one for ground cover. Here in AZ you see a lot of "quarter minus" which is a crushed rock that comes in different colors. It's relatively inexpensive, rakes up neatly, and isn't prone to weeds. Stepping stones can be placed in it as well.... You could hang some planter boxes off of your railing behind the statue
I have a very modest Mary garden on my patio. My 4' statue is secured to a post and surrounded by potted plants. Currently, we have mainly a little herb garden: 2 mints, 1 fennel, 1 clover, and a large pot with yellow daisies and tiny bright blue draping flowers (osteospermum/lobelia combo.) Rosemary is easy to grow...lavendar is pretty and fragrant. Chives have pretty blooms. Because we live in the desert and I decidedly don't have a green thumb, adding pots one at a time has been very doable. Your son may enjoy being in charge of watering the pots, too!
Love,
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Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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florasita
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| Posted: June 02 2010 at 9:39pm | IP Logged
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My Mary garden has changed over the yrs . when we first moved here and I set up my little garden in the back it was a really sunny spot . I had tons of lilies , pansies , sweet william and a huge poppy .
Well 17 yrs later and the nieghbour growing a forest in his back yard our backyard is now almost total shade ! I can see gradulally adding more shade plants like my lily of the valley , ferns, hosta etc.
Also my garden has gradually turned into a total Guadalupe garden  I have a Mexican niche with milagros from dh it has images of OLG , ST.Francis & ST.Micheal , then my dear friend Sarah brought me back a statue of OLG from the states and my other friend Mary keeps giving me this ceramic Mexican images like fish & a beautiful half moon . I'd love to find stars to hang around our Lady wouldn't that be pretty .
I do not know much of shade gardens I've got himilan impatiens in my front shade garden but they are so tall I don't think they'd do well in my Mary garden .
do termites like straw ? I know my sil uses that for mulch . I don't mulch so I haven't c lue what to use .
Your statue is gorgeous ! I wish I could have Momma Mary in our front but people would most definately smash her here in our area  for now she sits with me in the back , & very peaceful .
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Mary garden ideas please
