Quite a bit of change...

The front yard is also coming along. The first several steps have come together and I find it more enjoyable to spend time out there now - less randomness and confusion... 

Before: early june with hodge podge garden...

After: early october with new Green Earth EcoTurf grass, two anchor gardens and some remaining shrubs that will be moved in the spring...

yellow potentilla from original garden, with two white potentilla added. They are surrounded by an unidentified perennial in this triangular anchor garden...

all the creeping euonymus or wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) that was growing around the garden, has been moved to the opposite corner along the driveway. It is accompanied by an Emerald 'n' Gold Euonymus Shrub. This area will get the most winter damage from snow and salt so we will see if it survives. I also just found out that wintercreeper is highly invasive in the USA and possibly Canada - it may need to come out next year!

the xeriscape garden has filled in nicely, but I am waiting until next year when it explodes in size (maybe the following year for the grasses). I extended this garden all the way to fence and added more perennials and grasses...

Before: early july, just before planting grasses and perennials...

After: early october as the grasses have gone to seed and the perennials have started to brown off...

overall the view from the house is a lot more simplified and calmer...

Now in fall harvest colours!

another one of the grandparents garden usurped by my more utilitarian and low maintenance ideas. The virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) on the right has finally decided to climb the garage - the one on the left started to climb two years ago! The staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) that one of my dogs decide to chop down 2 years ago is back, and at 12 feet tall, provides a lot of shade already for the patio...

I have decided to keep the sedum 'Autumn Joy' as they are drought tolerant and give much needed winter interest. The recently pruned climbing roses still need to go... 

after thinning the honeysuckle hedge on the lawn side of the "secret garden", I decided to plant periwinkle to continue the growth on the other side of the neighbours fence. The grass has also been extended to that point using Green Earth EcoTurf seed... 

the purple coneflowers, black eyed susans and goldenrod are finally winding down, and the leaves of the sugar maples behind our property are starting to litter the ground...

I decided to clear a large swath of the honeysuckle hedge to make way for more perennial gardens next year. I also moved some of the staghorn sumac runners to go along the back fence to help shade out the forest of invasive buckthorns on my neighbour's property...

the virginia creeper is mingling well with the wayward perenials that I kept from the front garden exodus. I call this the "Misfit Garden"...

the view from the recently cleared area. The sugar maple and white oak saplings are going to have to go next spring! It wont be long until the burning bush and virginia creeper turn their scarlet red...

these cuttings from the virginia creeper rooted well and I have planted them at the base of a tall honeysuckle along the fence. Eventually the native creeper and sumac will hopefully choke out the invasive buckthorn! At least these equally aggressive species combo will give the buckthorn a run for its money...

the large brush pile remains as a winter hide for various fauna but next year this area will hopefully become more "private" - either a wooden fence or a cedar hedge (thats not MY shed)...

This yard is looking mighty different than when we first moved in four years ago!

Autumn begins...

falling leaves

the house comes

out of the wood

-  jim kacian

cool days and cool nights bring the growing season to the end of it's glory...

In other news, a cruel twist of fate has made it so the pictures of the garden's progress since july have disappeared into the 'ether'. Sorry folks, apparently august and september didn't exist in my garden ...