Landscaping Ideas - terrace garden... friend gone gardening...

This will be a short story about my second favourite garden - after mine - and my friend. Her parents-in-law (PIL) had an allotment 50 km away from Warsaw. I was living in Warsaw at that time, so every weekend I used to go out of the city - I have 2 favourite places.

One of them is Serock, where at courtesy of my friend and her PIL, I was often a guest - we used to meet often, enjoying fresh air, beautiful view to the lake, sunbath and chatting about... eee... life.
One day - yes, 'one day' - you know this feeling, when something has been going on for some time and you finally SEE it ONE DAY. So, one day I realised that we didn't meet for very long time. But why? Her answer puzzled me: 'as you know (yes, I new) we decided together with PIL to build yearly house... now when it finishes I got more busy.'

But Why?

Her eyes started to shine in a weird way - 'I asked 2 girls to design a garden for me'.

Hmmm... everyone has hobbies - but GARDEN? Imagine her - fancy girl from the city, long legs, short skirt, long finger nails... what garden?

This is how it started - we 'lost' her for 2 years - every free time she spent there - I couldn't understand it. Finally there was grand opening and I could see it - still no understanding from my side.

There was not too much matching between the design made by designers and final arrangement. The main bone of the garden was defined - this garden is very difficult, because it is fully laying on the slope. She decided, to make terraces with usage of stonewalls 70cm high. On the first one there is house and on the next 3 garden.

Her passion made me KINDLY interested in the subject - which was becoming stronger with the years, after seeing the garden was becoming more beautiful. Every visit was starting with the garden tour: what is growing, what is blooming and what is new etc. My mother who is living 500 km away, when she comes to me, we go to visit Krystyna's garden. One day mum said: 'Krystyna, when I come to Ewa and do not come to see your garden, I feel like I didn't visit Ewa' - so you see, how important part of our life it is.

Today it is 10 years old and everything started from tiny plants, except fruit trees - they were only saved :) and pruned.

Main part of the garden is pond and the water flush falling to the next terrace. At the side of the pond there is a small, but very picturesque tree Salix matsudana Tortuosa planted. It grew very fast and looks very sentimental. Next to it, on the right, you see Larix deciduous Repens.

Beautiful and original cones of Picea abies Frohburg - recent newcomer.

Two Salix integra Hakuro Nishiki are framing the entrance to the lowest terrace.

Unknown, yellow, beautifully scented rose. On the arbor red rose, also unknown. Salix matsudana Tortuosa on the right side - see how big it grew in 10 years from little stick?

Can you see how rapid is the slope? Down there is last terrace and the lake - not very visible on the picture, but I will make more in the coming summer. Today's pictures are taken by the owner :) On the right side of the picture brownish-red coloured beutiful shrub Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple.

Pictures from this garden wre published last year in October in one of the garden magazines "Działkowiec".