Long way to go...
Well, now I've done it. I've wanted to stain the fence for a few years. *We have a considerable amount of fencing. I've begun and now I need to finish. Just to show the drab washed out before, and a sample of black stain. I was nervous that black wouldn't be right. But once I got a section done I was 100% in!
Having to stop and deal with the multiple trumpet vines (planted on the other side, fire lane not a neighbor thankfully) was annoying. You can see this b*st*ard has completely grown through our fencing.
The Echium really gets to show off now.
Starting the back long side, I finished 5 of 17 yesterday. This may take a couple weeks?
I'll figure out the fussy trellis part later, and keep marching on. The striped circus look is terrible, but the boards are overlapped. I have 2 different roller sizes, I wish the boards were all the wide ones - so much faster! So many spider webs are hidden in the nooks.
End of day 2, contemplating Tom Sawyer movess, schoolkids and trading in their apples for the privilege of painting said fence. Onwards!
That is a VERY big project and you are a star to keep at it, Tracy! It's already doing a lot to show off your plants and all the effort will be worth it in the end. It's too bad about the sprayer, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm still adding touch ups and tweaks to my newly renovated bed, including the surrounding area. What I thought was another gopher also turned out to be a broken pipe and, luckily for me, my husband fixed that!
Thank you, I am happy with it-slept like a rock last night. I'm so glad it wasn't a gopher! Excellent news :)
DeleteThat's looking amazing. Too bad the sprayer didn't work. Good luck on finishing it all up. It'll be worth it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Liz, I'm excited about it.
DeleteIt looks great and really sets off your plants.
ReplyDeleteThank you Phillip!
DeleteI feel the same way about black fences, incredible what a difference they make! Good job, you're on your way now!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm going for a good stretch of work this afternoon. Hoping to finish the long back fence!
DeleteI think black is a perfect backdrop for your desert plants. Really nice. You know, the shadows in that first photo would really fit in with Shadow Shot Sunday! Feel free to come over tomorrow (posts go up Saturday for those living in countries were Sunday for me is Monday for them) and link it!
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you Lisa. Now I'm looking over pictures with shadows!
DeleteYou made the perfect choice of colour for your fence. I painted mine black several years ago, and I love it. The fence disappears into the background, and the colours of the plants pop.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Catherine, and you have all those vivid colors (the Acer & Pieris) that would be gorgeous against the black.
DeleteWOWSA! That looks fantastic! I came so close to doing this when our fence was new, but there were also a million other projects pulling at me and I just never did. What a job!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I thought I better do it before I planted anything else at the top of the slope, things are small enough now to paint around.
DeleteBlack fence is great--vanishes and makes the plants the stars. You did good.
ReplyDeleteYour whole back garden is so interesting. It must be fun to sit outside on a nice day and just look at it all.
The slope on the west side of my house needs work, but it will have to wait until I can walk well enough to get up there again. Autumn probably, because too hot in summer.
Thank you, I'm excited to finish this up (we had rain all day yesterday, completely weird for May). It has made me notice empty spots, which I look forward to filling. Yes, don't go on that slope until you're ready. I find myself up there in my slippers and have to scold myself!
DeleteI love the look and color you chose. It makes the plants stand out brighter against the dark background. It was interesting how you started filming up close and then moved back. The garden kept getting bigger and bigger. It peaked my interest to see what was next.
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard work but the paint will keep the boards from weathering. I wish I had painted our deck when we moved in this (three year old at the time) house twenty years ago. Even though they were treated, they have slowly deteriorated and most need to be replaced now. We got an estimate to have it repaired and it will cost a fortune!!! Also, the original homeowner of this house didn't paint the small wood trim around the windows. All they had was the original factory primer. We didn't notice it until one started peeling and we realized what had happened. I tried sanding, stripping, filling, painting over and over but it didn't matter - they had rotted. Two fell out of the frames and had to be glued back in last winter so we finally broke down and replaced them - $27,000!!!! The hard work you are doing now will be worth it in the future.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
Thank you Jeannie! Oh man, all that work AND $27k. Not a fun thing to spend that much money on :(.
DeleteI don't think I've seen too many black fences where I live but the contrast with your succulents works so well. I like how it works and it will be worth all the work. Going over to the dark side for May the 4th - was that intentional? You picked the perfect day to showcase your work!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, no I wish I had thought of that!
DeleteI've been a big fan of black fences and houses since a trip to Sweden several years back. This will certainly make it easier to photograph your plants. Good idea at getting this done before it gets really hot.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jerry! We had a rare May rain storm, so I was put back a day. Hopefully it's dry enough to day to start up again.
DeleteWhat an interesting garden you have, the plants so different and exotic from what I grow. The plantings look great against the new fence color. I love the Echium.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susie, I love your perennial garden. I leaned into the dry garden because it is SO hot here during the summer months.
DeleteThe fence looks great, perfect color as a backdrop, but that is one large project you have there. Applause for your stamina. :-)
ReplyDelete