Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies

There's been an update on my visions of sugarplums.  I'm still optimistic, but the sugarplum fairies are not just dancing around in my head - they're dancing around on the ground, too!

For some reason (which was explained to me, but so technical I blocked it out), the well had to be moved.

So, we are now drilling in the back.  This is directly below the walking garden, adjacent to the main rose bed:


Do you see that large area below the fence?  For several years, I have had plans for it to be a maze.  Wouldn't that be grand?  I've never actually done anything on this plan.  I haven't even measured the area.  It may not be quite big enough for a maze, so perhaps a knot garden will be the final plan.  Except a maze sounds like so much fun to me!  And even though work on the maze may not begin for many more years, I still consider it my 'maze area'.

But now it will have a well pump in the middle.


Well, well, well.  Hmmm.... no problem!  I'm flexible!  In fact, I'm already coming up with solutions.  A maze situated around a pump house that's tall like a clock tower, perhaps?  Or a maze surrounding a pump house with stairs on the outside to a roof top look out?

Or perhaps you can come up with a suggestion for me!  Of course, I'm not sure when I'll get around to deciding, or when these plans will actually come to fruition.

But for now the sugarplum fairies are dancing in the middle of my maze!

20 comments:

  1. Pump up enough water for one of those water tanks that are big enough for a swimming pool. It would be very refreshing on a day like today.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maze or anything else I am sure you will come up with something nice. I would put in another rose garden with climbing roses covering the pump house. But this is just me with my small suburban yard, who never has enough space for all the roses that I would like to grow ;-)!
    Christina

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's funny, I've lived in numerous places with wells and my best friends father actually drills wells for a living and yet I've never actually seen the machinery involved before this post. That's a massive tower.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yikes, looks dangerous right next to your beautiful Roses! But as the others have said, you'll have a plentiful water supply. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tufa Girl - I don't know if you're old enough to remember the tv show 'Petticoat Junction' where they would go swimming in the water tank! It does sound refreshing!

    Christina - More roses - sounds good! Actually, it's fairly shady there. But maybe I can squeeze in some roses here and there. I'll have to make it part of my maze design!

    Marguerite - It is big! Well drilling is fairly simple, but somewhat dangerous. You should ask your friend's father about it sometimes. It's really fascinating.

    PlantPostings - I hope so! I'd hate to go through all this for not enough water!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Does the well require a pump house? Ours is all in the ground with only a very short protrusion that tells me where it is. Did you ever read The Forgotten Garden? There was a house hidden in a maze in that. An excellent book by the way.

    When I think of mazes I think of boxwoods which grow so slowly. Will you be around to see it full grown?

    ReplyDelete
  7. It will be fun to design any garden around it. It is good you have a positive attitude toward the change of plans. So much to dream of now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Marcia - Great questions! The way it was explained to me, a pump house was not required, but recommended to protect it from freezing. It's common here, so that's what is generally done. In my mind (which could be wrong), it will be about the size of a hot water heater. Not sure if that's exactly right.

    I've never read that book, but I may have to check it out! I was thinking the pump house could be the destination in the middle of the maze, but wouldn't really want anyone to go in, so maybe some benches around it. Not sure. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

    Boxwoods would be wonderful, but how high do they usually grow? I've only ever seen short boxwood hedges. I thought of hollies, but don't want anything prickly. So, I'm not sure on the type of plant to use. That's one reason I've never gone forward on this project. Any planting suggestions would be welcome!

    Will I be around? Who knows! It won't really matter, even though I'd ideally like to find a plant that would be 8 ft (or taller) in 5 years or so. It'll still be fun to run through a short maze for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Greenapples - If I had started work on this area, my attitude might be different! But since I'm still in the planning stages, I can just plan around it. Lots of dreams - I just need to remember to keep my dreams and my ability to maintain everything in line!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello HolleyGarden,
    My vote is for the pump house with the stairs to a look out on the roof! Just enough room for two chairs and maybe a little table...
    I think it would be so nice to view the roses from on high, especially on warm summer evenings.

    glimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nothing beats a good well! What creative sugar plum visions. A maze does sound really fun. I am always fond of labyrinths. I miss having a well. We are now on village water. But I do plan to install a rain barrel as we can here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Karen - A table and chairs on top of a roof does sound like fun, doesn't it?

    Violet Fern - The closer it gets to completion, the more excited I get. My roses (and other plants, too) have really been suffering, and it will be great to be able to water them enough to make them happy. Oh, and to have a little bit of green in the lawn!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yay!!! Hooray for water!!!!

    You know I'm from Indiana because the first thing I thought of was a corn maze. Not so pretty for your garden, though! Do you want it to be a "lose yourself completely" kind of maze (with super tall plants) or one that you could see your way out of? It's a fabulous idea.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hanni - My husband keeps saying corn maze, too! haha Since it will not be a very complex maze (there's just not that much room) I'd love to have one with tall plants. I don't think anyone would get lost! Do you have any plant suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  15. My folks had a pump house but it was about the size of a tool shed and they actually kept some tools in it. It had a little window and door. You could decorate it like a little gingerbread cottage! It would be so quaint!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Cathy and Steve - Oh, a gingerbread cottage! What a great idea! A place for tools would be handy, too. Thanks for chiming in!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Can you grow a rambler up that pump house? Mermaid maybe :)?

    I am glad you are getting a well, your plants will be so much happier. I can't wait to see what garden you will design around it.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Masha - I hadn't thought of growing a rambler on it, but that would be pretty! My plants are sooooo thirsty! They are as excited as I am! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, I don't envy you having to drill a well. We have been eeking ours out for as long as possible knowing that we are on borrowed time. What a project...and a speed bump in your garden plans.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Peggy - Borrowed time is exactly how we felt. We hope the new well will be able to meet all our needs - and especially the garden's, which has been suffering.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...