If you are a regular reader at my site you know I love to give my gardens names. This little area at the bottom of the deck stairs and right beside the garage door is the farmyard garden. When we first moved into this house, 28 or so years ago there was an overgrown lilac tree here that eventually had to come down.
It is a sun trap area as we face south and the soil isn’t the best. But it is perfect for hens and chicks. Several years ago I came across a pile of free items at the end of a driveway. Who can resist stopping to see what was there. I found metal farmyard cutouts … a pig, a chicken, a sheep, and a dog.
The big cow was a find by my husband. Daisy cow has a braided rope tail, made by a daughter at a pioneer exhibit. The poles were reclaimed from an old telephone pole at the front of the property during road construction. The piece was rolled to the back garden, cut into three pieces and used in the garden. It is the perfect spot to display the little fairy doors and windows.
I didn’t intentionally set out to collect this sort of thing but they just seemed to fall into place. All are free items and once one or two made their way to this garden it seems others just appeared and said ‘take me to the farmyard’! There is a big flat rock in the centre area and I have my Canadian flag made of flat stones sitting there.
The hens and chicks just love growing in this little hot spot. Every few years some of the mature plants start sending up a spike from the very centre. Hens & chicks are small succulents and they grow well in the garden or in containers. Last year I planted up several succulent planters.
a birdcage planter | white tub | toolbox planter |succulent frame
Check out this great book for propagating succulents.
And then at the top of the shoot there is a pretty green flower. There was an amazing number of tall flower shoots in 2014.
There are lots of tiny green buds about to open up.
Fascinating! and perfect for macro photography. Nature never fails to amaze me.
Don’t overlook the beauty of the hens & chicks. They are an interesting addition to the garden, they multiply quickly and you get the unexpected treat of a pretty bloom.
Garden areas
