Monday, June 2, 2008

Savage Plants & Landscape

It's Monday, so I am back in the saddle of a quiet day by myself in our house...except that we are expecting the team from Savage Plants and Landscape to come and tear up our back yard --which is really our front yard, by the front door, but we think of it as our back yard, because the view (Puget Sound) is on the other side of the house...so we think of that as the front. Silly.

Savage Plants & Landscape is owned by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (Gregg's sister, Joan, and her husband, Jim Savage). Jim is a real artist with a discerning eye and a passion for quality. It's been a great privilege to have their team work on our yard since we built this house. Jim designed the yard from its beginning, when it was just a lot of dirt around the house. He and his team have returned over the years we've lived here (8 years, so far) to transform one area or another as we have had the funds to do it. Our kids always loved interacting with the crew, and the foreman, Collin, has a great way with kids, so he always made them feel welcome to observe and chat.

They created our path to the bulkead in 2002, out of a messy, steep dirt slope. This made it possible for older people & tiny kids to go down to the beach and enjoy it, as it was basically a slide before the crew landscaped it.
It has lots of twists and turns and is planted beautifully, and we call it "Lombard Street" after the street in San Francisco. These photos were taken right after it was finished; it has grown & changed alot in 6 years. (You can see Katie and our dog-friend, Lily, in the lower-left corner of the photo, with Gregg; the weird piece above her is from another photo. I couldn't bear to "crop" Katie out of it to get rid of that other piece. The problems of photographing scrapbook pages!)

Today, they are going to remove a lawn which has grown half-full of moss, and create a better path to our front door (I know, but is the main door); tomorrow, they will make beds on both sides of the path, and put plants in the beds, making a gentler transition from the yard to the woods, and screening our propane tank.

For those of you with healthy backs and a green thumb, this must sound kind of lame, but I have a "brown thumb," and Gregg has back problems, so we are not going to attempt a project of this sort. I loved Sheri's posting this weekend (Sunday, June 1st), and I wish I could do what you and Joe are doing, but alas! That is not one of my gifts. Maybe when we retire, I can learn those skills...

I took some "before" photos, so we could enjoy the transformation. When they are done, I will take the "after" photos and post the difference here.

5 comments:

Laurie Brandriet Keller said...

Anxiously awaiting the before and after pics. Having a brown thumb is ok, especially when you write and photograph beautifully!

Sheri said...

ha! Joe is the green thumb in our equation...I am the admiring and undeserving recipient of his devotion!

Your home is so beautiful and I hope to visit it some day. Joseph was born at Madigan Army Medical Center and I loved it up there. I can't wait to see pictures of what you are doing!

Helen/Spike and Drusilla OK Citizens said...

Thanks for stopping by to see Dudley. He is quite a miracle and changing so much every day, which is why I started the blog so we could remember.

What a great view you have! I can't wait to see your before and after pictures. We are attempting our first garden this year and are quickly discovering what backbreaking work it is!

Me said...

I'm so glad you explained what that "weird piece" in the photo was. I was fixated on it for a while and then I finished reading the paragraph! Your house and surrounding area is like a vacation retreat. Very pretty indeed.

Gberger said...

Laura, we think alike. I knew that corner of the photo was going to baffle someone! Still smiling.