it is possible to create garden by yourself! you only need to really believe it :)

Here is my GH (Garden Helper) :) His name is Aslan.

He is guarding my little garden that is located in Komorow (Poland, Central Europe) 20 kilometers from country capitol Warsaw.

I have moved here in 2004 from Warsaw. After living 17 years there I desperately needed to move closer to nature. I was raised at the lake and after taking 17 years of very hard work in the city, I came to the point when it was no longer possible to continue like that.

I have moved to a house with the garden big as 700 sq meters and knowing nothing about gardening. Miraculously few months gardening issues took over my life. With garden that was almost non existing - 3 pines, 6 not taken care fruit trees and soil hard as concrete - I have spend hours and hours in the garden transforming it into something that could be called 'personal space'. Plants, nurseries, fertilisers etc. I saw in my dreams again, after living them in the daylight. I would like to share my experience and ask for advices :) my example shows that it is possible to make by yourself a garden from scratch!

Now let's see to which point I came!

This is the view from my kitchen window facing north. My garden is at the street, on the corner, so I want to isolate from the cars and pedestrians.

I fell in love with pine trees Pinus nigra var. austriaca for its dark green colour and growing habit. Real beauty!

Magnolia in the front and perovskia (Russian Sage) that needs to be moved to different place in the garden.

In the southern part of the garden we (with my hubby) located pond. I will make separate post about it.

Already in the first year we got baby fishes from the 5 Carassius auratus auratus I brought in May.

On the right in the backgound much too big apple tree, that at this stage of the garden is second major shadow creator in the summer. Second after cherry tree, which is huge :)

In front Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple and Miscanthus x giganteus, that in our climate will never produce flowers. Yeah... too short growing season - but I didn't know that when I planted it. At that time garden was empty, so 'giganteus' sounded very promising :) I look for space for smaller miscanthus to see their showy flowers.

View from living room - favourite view at the morning coffee. Reddish in colour is Sedum spectabile Autumn Joy, grows between Salix integra Hakuro-nishiki on the right and Thuja occidentalis Yellow Ribbon on the left. Pinus nigra present as well, however I am not sure. I have bought it as Pinus nigra, but with the time and it's growth it looks to me more like Pinus sylvestris. There is 3 of them growing in that spot. Most left one looks like 'sylvestris'.

Aslan is cute and very loud cat :)

Sedum spectabile Autumn Joy - looking great at any season... such "must have".

Digitalis purpurea is such a plant that makes me often surprised. You can't really guess where it will appear. Here I found it on the bed getting prepared for next year, but I can also find them in the pots that are very far from any growing digitalis:)

House from west-north. I let Parthenocissus quinquefolia var. murorum and Engelmanii to grow on the walls. They were planted 3 years ago and they have reached to the roof this year!

Somebody that built my house made the ground floor too high over soil level (flood resistant house?) - that is why I try different ways to make house integrate with the garden.

I think that slowly it will happen...

Is there any incantation or special prayers that could make my trees grow faster?

... to hide poles and street...

This place looks pretty pretty here :) But it requires a lot of changes, that will come before April next year.

Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle (on this picture green round pompons, in fact creamy in colour) was this year almost fully eaten by snails! Although I was collecting them every day, they invaded my garden this year!

This corner has to hide filter for the pond and that major arrangement will be finally done :) It looks like :)

On the right Cyperus involucratus that definately has to go home by now. However weather forecast is saying that in the coming week the teperature should not drop below 0C, but few degrees at night is already too cold for it :)