One More Patio Added

In the spring of 2014, I've written the post: Our Patio Tiles Are DONE! (see link below post...) and that was it we thought. All part of our Water Control program. We did leave out ONE corner without tiles because we still had our healthy Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc living there. See a post from a healthy shrub in 2011. 

BUT... our Hibiscus started looking bad and husband Pieter took starters last year, in order to rescue at least some 'Offspring'...

Meanwhile, with the photos of the tile boxes and all info, in front of me from the post about: Our Patio Tiles & Freeze Warning, I found them on the Internet! Home Depot had long discontinued them...

Yep, at a STOVER'S LIQUIDATION warehouse in Knoxville, Tennessee at some 7 hours driving distance from our home. They even were open on Sunday! So I drove there on June 11 of 2017, to pick up our order of 10 boxes with the Marazzi Orizzonti Sunset 12" x 12" tiles. 

We'd spent a night at a Hyatt hotel in Atlanta and from the warehouse I did drive straight home.

Photo is from April 26 after our pot plants had been moved back from the greenhouse and after all patios had been scrubbed clean to match this NEW one!

This is on March 10, a day that it was not 'wet'... We have had our share of rain this spring! 

Materials are inside front porch for protection.

Concrete is being poured by hand...

Our workers did a neat job!

See how green the wood work in our front porch was from all the rain and pollen...

That has been scrubbed clean too.

The old wheelbarrow functioned for mixing the concrete.

April 26 from the bay window area to the front with all our pot plants already out.

There are dwarf Mondo grasses growing along the edging.

New Patio Corner where the Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc once stood...

Left and right are now both tiled and looking a lot better!

May 20 and you can see that husband Pieter took this photo in-between showers.

We have had such enormous rain for weeks on end and more to come!

Our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold is therefore not looking its GOLDEN BEST...

Sunshine makes all the difference!

We also missed good photo options for the blooming Yucca lilies... They're all gone due to so much rain.

Hope you enjoyed this update!

Will visit you within a couple of days, have been rather sick but am on the mend.

Thanks for your visit and comment.

{Our Patio Tiles Are DONE!} | previous post by me
{Our Patio Tiles & Freeze Warning} | previous post by me where you see the tile boxes and name info
{Our Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc & Our Life in Italy} | previous post by me

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Hitch Hike on Murano Platinum

We both are so thrilled for having added a Hitch Hike to our Murano Platinum!

At the local Nissan Garage they did an excellent job.

This cute little trailer has been built by husband Pieter himself years ago.
It came as a package from Northern Tool, on December 23, 1993.

Photo is from June 15, under our Quercus Virginiana 'Grand View Gold'.

Hitch Hike is so neatly built under the car.

The trailer got nicely patched up as well, with some left over boards from Home Depot, which were graciously cut to size.

Pieter proudly showing it here on May 19.

Yes, we have hauled our Miele Dishwasher, Miele Oven, Miele Hood on this cute trailer in 1998 and also in 2004 our solid French oak bedside tables, coffee table and mirrors for the Rose Suite downstairs.
LOTS of compost and also heavy building materials for our Rose Suite!

Great for hauling off bigger pieces to the recycle center or for picking up compost...

Thanks for your visit and comment!

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FINALLY two successful grafts of our Grand View Gold Live Oak

On April 3, we received the great news from tree enthusiast Adam Black, that he had FINALLY two successful grafts of our Grand View Gold Live Oak!

We got to know Adam in November of 2012, when he was still with the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, FL.

He made the trip to our garden several times, trying to graft this very rare species.

On April 16, Our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold looks almost as golden as my Escada leather skirt!

April is Grand View Gold Oak's most stunning season and on April 13, Adam got to see it in all its glory as he once more did make the LONG drive to our garden...

Coming all the way from Peckerwood Garden in Hempstead, Texas!

You can find the article by Adam about Preserving a Stunning Golden Live Oak in their Peckerwood Garden Newsletter, just scroll down to read about it.

Of course, Pieter too is feeling very proud of the fact that this unique tree will get preserved for the future!

Pieter is wearing his Patrick James Herringbone Tweed Ibizza grey sport coat, woven in Italy with Alberto Tonal Stripe Five-Pocket Jeans from PatrickJames.com. with his Ermenegilda Zegna shirt and Escada silk elephant tie.

My Escada leather skirt and Escada shoes.
Wearing it with my RED Valentino sweater.
To the left you can see our Spooky on the lawn...

Of course, our loyal Spooky boy is always near us, he follows like a doggy!

Thanks for your visit!

Catching up on things, slowly...

Related links:
{Princess Diana's Elephant Tie just like Pieter's} | previous post by me showing Pieter's silk tie
{My Escada & RED Valentino Score} | previous post by me showing the above outfit...

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{Castanopsis Cuspidata (Japanese Chinquapin) Japanese Shii}

Around mid-April our very special tree, the evergreen Castanopsis cuspidata (Japanese Chinquapin) Japanese shii, started blooming.

You can click the pink hyperlink for information...

This photo is actually from April 26, where it is already in full bloom!

As for its name Japanese Shii, it is related to the famous Shii-take mushrooms

'Shii' is the name of the tree that usually hosts the mushroom. The tree belongs to the Birch family. 'Take' means the mushroom fruit...

Screenshot is taken from: Medical Mushrooms.net just click it.

The above information you can find: Castanopsis cuspidata (Japanese Chinquapin; Japanese shii by clicking on the hyperlink.

There is very limited information about this very special tree.

You can find more here: Castanopsis cuspidata

These are the flowers (catkins?) about mid April as they start opening up.

The tree seems to be related to beech and oak!

Looking somewhat hairy but very special!

This is on April 26, the Japanese Chinquapin is partly seen to the right of the tall 'Magnolia Namnetensis Flore Pleno', so you have an idea where it is.

Now I'm stepping back, across the road for an overview. 
Our Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold is partly seen next to the big Magnolia.

Walking back to the Japanese Chinquapin...

Again, these photos are from April 26 and the flowers start already looking dark.

Except for areas with less direct sunlight.

It is a very unusual and exotic looking tree!

Have you ever seen, or heard of this Castanopsis cuspidata, Japanese Chinquapin or Japanese shii?

Hope you enjoyed this introduction!

Thank you for your visit and time.

Related link:

{RARE Icicles in Our Garden} | showing you this Japanese Chinquapin with icicles on!
Castanopsis cuspidata (Thunb.) Schottky | Common names: Japanese tanbark oak; ita-shii (Japanese) and its Pharmaceutical interest

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{Our Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' in April}

Just have to share with you our biggest garden treasure and that is the very rare, I do believe it's perhaps the ONLY one within the USA... Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold.

We had tea on the balcony and I took this photo just this afternoon.

To the right you see the brown foliage of our sick Italian Cypress...

But this Golden Live Oak ' Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' looks stunning every spring! 
We have it now for 20 years and it is not a tall tree, like the Quercus behind it.

This  Golden Live Oak ' Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' has been a big influencer for selecting our Benjamin Moore Golden Mist color for the exterior of the house.
Don't you love this sight?!
Photo is from April 16 in the morning.

This huge 'Magnolia Namnetensis Flore Pleno' is framing our home nicely, as does the semi evergreen oak on the other side of the house.
All the Pot Plants on the Patio dwarf in comparison...

Turning around makes you see the Golden Live Oak as well as the huge Magnolia Namnetensis Flore Pleno with in the back another huge oak tree... 
We got many different oak trees on our property!

Looking past the Magnolia, the Golden Live Oak comes into full view behind the retainer wall, with our Acer Negundo Kelly's Gold Yellow Box Elder.
Stepping back now... To the right you can see the road.

View from our driveway where the two (one already died) Italian Cypress struggle for life and our Windmill Palm.
Against a backdrop from the Quercus Virginiana Live Oak, a green form.

The Acer Rubrum, or Red Maple, gives its best red and the Acer Negundo Kelly's Gold Yellow Box Elder, to the left is also a show stopper!
The above photo is taken this afternoon, from the balcony.

Also our Canary Island Palm (in a pot) is visible here.

This last photo is from April 14, less sunny and thus looking less golden...
Hope you enjoyed our Garden Treasure!
Wishing you a lovely new week ahead and always thanks for stopping by.
In one week I also will find time again to visit you... SORRY!

🌴

Related links to our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold:

Adam Black (who tried several times to propagate this tree!), together with Jason A. Smith from the School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida/IFAS did show one of my photos towards the bottom of their Pdf: Presentation University of Florida
{Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' in Sunshine at its BEST} | my previous post with more links below

google.com/+MariettesBacktoBasics

{Magnolia Stages}

Our two HUGE Magnolia Grandiflora the trees go through different stages. Husband Pieter did make this photo series on June 13, to show you more about it.

Here you see a fully opened up flower from the Fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno' and Pieter did place the US $ 0.01 for comparison.

This one is still budding in October ...

Yes, we are going backward, this is still more closed.

And this is a totally closed up bud.

Bud Developing ...

This is the beginning of a new leaf!

Funny with an old leaf still attached around the new budding leaf ...

Beautiful photo showing a budding October leaf and the seed pod, after the bloom has blossomed.

From the beginning of our driveway ... This Fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno' is HUGE. We planted it in January 1996 together with the Quercus virginiana Grand View Gold, you see to the right. Both are our most expensive trees on the property!

Here the Grand View Gold, life oak tree to the left looks more striking.

ALSO we did detect several pesky  Saw Greenbrier, Catbrier, Bullbrier  que had clinic Their Way up ... Of course, They got cut off!

This is from the driveway near the house, showing Also part of our Windmill Palm.

Walking now across the entire property, a photo taken from the neighbor's side, showing our other Magnolia Grandiflora Virginiana.

That one is HUGE as well and is sitting on the lawn ...

From a different angle, with the huge Also, trimmed up oak tree next to it.

Also do you have such a giant Magnolia tree in your yard?

Related links:
{RARE Icicles in Our Garden} | previous post by showing me icicles on Magnolia tree ...
{Our Fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora} | previous post by me
{Our Bee Happy Magnolia Restaurant} | previous post by me
{Our Fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno'} | previous post by me
{Blooms on our Windmill Palm - Trachycarpus fortunei} | previous post by me
{# 1111 - Our Golden Live Oak "Quercus virginiana Grand View Gold 'changing color} | previous post by me

google.com/+MariettesBacktoBasics