Since we are in the thick of the summer heat, let's take a break from my dreary, hard core NYC renovation nightmare — and head back up to the beach to visit my saltwater garden on the sea!
Creating a garden was scary to me at first - it’s unlike a renovation, where if you paint a wall white, it stays white — until you decide to change it. That is what I call, total control and I’m sure you’ve surmised by now, I love, love, love total control! Landscaping on the other hand is truly in the hands of the Gods. You’re working with living things that do not bend to your will - UGH! As a result, I was reluctant to start this project and actually put it off for a year, making excuse after excuse to delay.
The double trouble began with the devastation of Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. There were many decisions to be made post devastation that would determine the look and complexity of the garden. Being that the house is a coastal property, the hurricane soaked the existing garden in salt water, which killed just about everything - except the invasive weeds! One stroke of good fortune, the Maple tree that John and I loved so much came back the next Spring. We were worried that we had seen the last of it, as the waves were so high the salt water turned the entire tree black.
Fast forward to last Spring, when I had to bite the bullet and begin the last leg of the cottage re-do — the garden. I learned a new word, hardscaping (who knew!). It’s was my new favorite term… it meant I actually did have “some” control over my garden. Hardscaping is the non-organic, construction part of the landscaping process (and the costliest). My first hardscaping decision, what to do with the driveway? During the cottage restoration when we decided to lift the house 9-feet, I also had to decide whether or not to keep the driveway in its original location and size. I was so overwhelmed by the cost and scope of the house lift that I couldn’t focus on another decision, so I kept it intact. Now that we were planning the garden we had to re-visit the driveway — and again, in the end we decided to keep the big black top driveway. With the house lifted, the nifty cottage barn doors and the new staircase it just wasn’t an eyesore anymore. Good thing I put the brakes on redoing the driveway the first time around. Lesson #1, when in doubt — wait.
In my next post, How Does Your Garden Grow: Part 2, I share lessons #2 and #3. Until then…
- Jaqui AKA Mad Renovator
