Weeeellll, because of "finding" you a about three months ago, my project for the last month has been my very own flagstone and pea gravel patio! What was this crazy woman thinking!?! After digging out and out and out some more for a MONTH, I turned it over to landscapers to finish. I don't care if they did finish it up, I am taking my own share of the credit. They were amazed that I had accomplished as much as I did because they had little leveling to do and finished my 15 x 25 patio in one day! My bragging rights to it are going to be tiresome for many. I am 72 yrs old and much more stupid than strong! On to my next something although hubs did make me promise I would let him know before I jumped in boots and all. Love you Linda! Hope I survive all I want to do because of following you and your amazing accomplishments! 😁 Sincerely, Peggie Roberts Donnald
I just want to say thank you so much. You have been my therapy ...my 21 year old son past away from covid in December and i was flipping around on RU-vid and started watching you . I had no flower gardens. But now I have a beautiful space that my children and i have created and it has been the best therapy for all of us. We are in Virginia and it has been cold and wet here but it starting warm up. I just want you to how much you help people in ways you don't realize!
Oh my dear. What heartache and loss. I have gone to my garden many times for comfort - but never anything so devastating as the loss of a child. It sounds like you are very wise and have loving children to support you. I will dedicate all my gardening today in memory of your son. Much love to you and your family.
I can totally relate to what you said about being an untrained, intuitive gardener who works in their personal style. I feel like that has been my path as an intentional gardener over the past 15 years, too. That's how our 3 acres in Lancaster County, PA (where we've been cooler than normal and the fruit trees have loved it, by the way!) have evolved... lots of trial and error, moving plants, realizing that deer can eat a lot (as well as rub their antlers on our precious shrubs), and waiting patiently for our garden beds to "age". Your videos are such an inspiration, Linda - thank you (and Stewart, too)!
Linda I was drawn to you're channel in the past 4 months or so and have been completely blown away by the absolutely gorgeous garden you have created! I live in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and after showing my hubby you're beautiful garden he agreed with me that our garden needed a 'Linda Vater' makeover! So at 62 and 61 hubby and I started in April transforming our backyard! I think it will take most of the summer but it's beginning to look amazing!
The last few days we got lots of rain. Prior to that we had drought conditions. I planted a new perennial border. Now my border is a water garden. I’ll be weeding and praying all my little plants pull through! Love the time I get to spend in your garden.❤️🥰 Thank you, Linda!
I’m in western Washington State, it’s been warm and dry and I’m loving it! I usually can’t start really gardening until mid-July so this weather is heavenly ☀️💕
I loved the tour and history of how it came to be. My project: Finish making both elevated back deck and covered front porch welcoming and pleasant places to sit. I’m putting all my plants for both spots into pots and planter boxes. I live out of town and we have hungry packs of deer that roam around and thru my property. I don’t want to fence it all, fight the deer, or have separate beds away from the house. I’m getting older now and have gotten so much inspiration and education from your yard and channel. It’s helping me to learn about plants and plant expertise in my new home state of North Carolina. Jim Putnam is another RU-vid gem that lives not too far away in Raleigh. Thank you so much.
Love the explanation of your steps and hardscape area. I garden in Austin Texas. In betwwen rain showers I have tried to replant my beds. I lost just about everything in the snow/ ice in Fedruary. A few things have started coming back, like my variegated ginger and banana trees. All tropicals and palms are permanently gone. Some I’ve had for 20 years. I liked the rain because it made the temp a bit cooler and my new plants loved it. Now the first thing I need to do is weed(ugh!) and mulch, plus more planting if I can find what I want. I have ordered three of your baskets and love them. I am awaiting delivery of the copper plant stand. I have learned so much and gotten great inspiration from your videos. Thanks!
Absolutely love your channel. I live in the south in Mississippi and I started early with my planting and now realize I get more sun where I thought I got lots of shade. So I am sitting back, now that the hot sun is coming out more, and thinking I need to move some things and purchase a few more sun loving shrubs. Excited again. So here I go off looking, taking more time, and shopping! 😎
@Harriet James. Golly, that sounds like my situation of collecting pots and plants for the last several months, now playing musical chairs to get them into the right sun/shade locations. I also made additional forays out in search of more sun plants.
In England, it's called pea-stone or pea-gravel and one of it's uses on drives is to hear cars or people approaching at night! I love your use of it here!
I loved that you loved our comments. =) First thing for me was mowing the lawn and now enjoying my roses and peonies. I´m so happy they are finally blooming! Love from Germany ♥
Linda,I have the same love for topiaries ! I winter over about 16 large 3 ball and spiral shape ones. It gives me an instant garden come spring. I so enjoy your garden and advice.I have been English gardening for 50 years.
I am moving weeding and adding wood chips that came from trees I lost in the Feb. ice storm. Thank you for the ideas of using the gravel and stone/brick. I want to get rid of my redwood deck. Beautiful!!
loved that you mentioned where you purchased the plants stand and also your clothing! It makes us love you more and down to earth, relatable, i think ! We like going to goodwill and recently went to search for garden jean overalls.
One of the main interest for keep watching you, was your back yard. Your gravel and pavers. I will just “GaGa” over it while you are chatting away about your plants/florals. Lol! I want it o do something like that. So I am thrilled about this vlog. Also, love those slides. Lol! I got some at Walmart 2 years ago. Lol. Gotten so many compliments. That top, I was also googling over it. Thanks so much for sharing your outfit wear.
Margi from Phoenix - zone 9. Highs will be in the low 100s for the next week or so. Focusing on drip system repair to ensure new plants survive the summer! Tomato plants are bursting with fruit but will die soon with out heat. Thanks, Linda for sharing content that helps us dream and plan for our future gardens.
Our deck needs to be redone, we decided to just take it out instead. We never use it and it is so expensive to replace. I'd rather have a big and beautiful flower bed in that space 🌺🌼
I could see a lovely gravel patio like Linda's in the center of a large flower bed. Considering it myself. FYI there are great tutorials on YT for how to make your own flagstone looking rocks for patios like Linda's.
The top you’re wearing is FANTASTIC! It’s shape and flow are great. And it even has fun detail in the back. Here in Spokane, WA it’s been very dry. That’s been great for getting so many projects done but bad as we’re already in a burn ban as it’s so dry. We’ve gotten a new roof put on, replaced and extended our gravel fire pit area, and we’re currently repainting our house. After 20 years it needed a refresh. I’ve pretty much gotten everything planted in my garden beds and gotten them cleaned out. Whew. That’s a lot!
Although the weather was not good for a long period of time it didn't kept me away from my garden but everything is slower and later. I am going to tackle our front yard next with some flagstone, gravel, pots and evergreens, the Linda Vater style, thanks for the inspiration. ❤️ Love the top, BTW. ❤️
I am working on finishing my veggie garden now that it is cooler here in the low desert. Need to use brick border to distinguish my planting area from my walkways. I also added more garden beds to that Garden. After the seed planting is done the beds will have straw placed to keep the moisture even and the walkways will be covered with wood chips. Love the design of your gardens! It's a joy to watch your videos! Thank you for making them.
Your backyard inspired me to solve a huge problem in mine! I have 2 boxers that love to play in my fenced backyard but they totally destroyed my grass 3x! I was so tired of red dirt when it was dry and red mud when it rained! My daughter and I covered 900 sg ft with slate rock and pebbles in between. We did put down landscape cloth 1st. I absolutely love it and we have had so much fun planting and decorating the area. My dogs stay clean now and it is because of your inspiration! I watch all your videoes and relate to you homewise as well as garden. I am in Winston-Salem, NC and appreciate you! Linda McPherson
After being stuck in the house for two weeks with allergies and rain, I finally planted my vegetables today. Next is planting 2 boxwoods, 3 silver mounds, weeding two beds and planting a mixed flat of annuals. One day at a time.
I wish I could send you a picture. I put the first big basket I bought from your QVC collection into my front garden. Just love it looking forward to getting my second one that was sent to my daughters house. Got a big pot of ice roses that will spill over and bloom all summer. 😍 love it.
After a wet, cool spring and 3 weeks of rain (which we will wish we had come August) we have 4 days of lovely weather before the expected tropical depression dumps several more inches of rain this weekend. I am mowing my lawn today and putting in the last of the annuals. I have been potting things in every container I can find just to get things into some soil. At least my bagged potting mix is not soggy.
I finished painting our deck gray (was brown), planted new foundation plants and so now we go hiking as often as we can- my favorite thing! I like thrifting too!
This just showed up in my feed and now I'm hooked. This is exactly how I want my back yard to look. Feels impossible but I've finally learned that anything is doable if you really want it and you have inspired me. Also I love the way you dress. That inspired me too. In just a few minutes you became my Sunday RU-vid watching plan for while I work on other projects and plan my next project of transforming my back yard to look like yours. Thanks lovely lady.
Next job in the garden is to take up some old decking and you have just giving me the perfect idea for it as I said since finding you I've got so much idea's thank you best regards from the South East Coast of Ireland 🇮🇪
Our next garden project is to power wash our patio and reapply paver sand. I’m still adding plants here and there whenever I find something I love or someone gifts me with a plant. I am also continuing to repot some house plants. It’s raining here in south east VA and rained over the weekend but it was very dry before that. Not drought dry but we hadn’t had rain in about 3 weeks. Thank you for the beautiful inspiration. 🥰
I live in Home, WA...on the shores of beautiful Puget Sound. I’ve been gardening intensively for April and May...finally the surge is over. Everything seems bigger and better than ever. Now it’s just a matter of maintenance. I’m awaiting the delivery of one of your baskets from QVC. I’ll have to find a place for it! I love your videos...very inspiring.❤️
We will be redoing our 20 year old pond because the liner cracked and it won't hold water. We dug it out ourself and were married in front of it so its extra special. It's my favorite place in my garden❤
Hi Linda, South Australian fan here, I have just completed my geranium stadium 😂👍 with cuttings from neighbours and my garden ❤️ I'll show you the progress soon
I am going to work on a memory garden in memory of my son Jordan Stevenson who passed away on May 15th from a stroke. I have irises named Jordan's Joy and a triple daylily named Jordan. My Southeast Oklahoma yard is still overgrown and wet from the daily rain, so it will take awhile, but that's okay because I am still in shock. He loved gardening too.
@Susan Smith. I pray you have many sweet moments in your memory garden. My heartfelt condolences about losing your gardening son. That would be unimaginably hard. I had a thought about how appropriate the name of the Iris going into Jordan’s garden. Bittersweet. God bless you.
I love your shoes!!!❤️❤️❤️. Spent morning in yard as it quit raining here and my nandina is looking better than ever....I clipped it way back after you did....I was truly worried it was gone. You have inspired so many changes I’m making in my yard
Just watched this today. February 2 2022. What a way to start my day. I’ve seen this before, so ready for spring. Got to wait. Minnesota is still extremely cold. Love your garden design.
Linda you have inspired me to start a new flower bed going around my whole backyard. A little at a time. I am in Niagara Canada where it has been warm and very dry. I have started cuttings and making willow starter juice. Lol. Thanks again.
You are such a cute fashion model. Love the shoes, shirt and pants. You make everything look cute. I think me, a 70 year old, could pull that off. Love the video about the gravel deck and everything. I recently had a gravel, small, patio area with the flagstone. And, we had a gravel path put in down the yard. I don't ever track in gravel. sometimes I have to flip one out of my shoe, before I enter the house ;). I love your door with all the plants, very sweet and cozy feeling-- not too much for me. love, hugs, prayers.
Linda, I went and picked up several new plants. Now I am deciding were I want them. Tomorrow I plant them. And the next day I am going to get some mulch and fertilize again. I am behind due to weather in Texas. It's like all of the rain that comes in April here did not come till May. It is just now starting to get hot. The ice storm and some medical issues threw me behind but the yard is now looking beautiful!! Putting down gravel also.!😊
Well, it finally quit raining north of Houston since Saturday. My gravel terrace is full of weeds that I need to get rid of but the onslaught of the mosquitos makes it hard. They are terrible, luckily they don't bite me as they do my husband. The rain gave the weeks so much strength. Have to tackle that first but the humid heat is settling in on the Gulf Coast. That's just our summer! Thanks as always for sharing your garden!!
Love, love a great thrift store find! Your blouse is so cute and stylish. The gravel area is so inviting. Thanks for highlighting this area of your gardens.
I am getting my patio enclosed. It will have a stone knee wall to match the Austin stone on my house. It will have an air conditioner and heating unit so I can keep cool in the summer and store my tender plants over the winter.
Linda, l❤️ your videos and how wonderful it is to have the pleasure of seeing you share gardening in your very personal and elegant way. I have gardened for over 40-45 years. I have loved and grown myrtles, scented geraniums , ivy, vines, collected garden urns, pots and antiques. So..... when I found your channel last year ..... I was so excited. Staying home with Covid etc, I am a nurse but gardening has been my outlet for the covid crisis. I have been really changing much of my garden , trying not to enlarge it but using more pots , growing boxwood, and have utilized gravel. I have enjoyed collecting pavers the most and setting my pots on them among my plantings and making paths. I find them on Marketplace free or cheap.!it has transformed how nicely my pots set straight up. I love the topiaries tops peeping up and I want them straight. Lol. Putting gravel on my plantings has been new to me and I can really see a huge difference in the look and the protection the gravel gives. My boys (3) of them and I have traveled all over the world. We would pick up a stone or rock at the places we visited. Castles in Great Britain, the Tower of London, Versailles, Rome. So we had quite a collection. I had the stones in a beautiful copper bowl with a motor to make a fountain for a long time. Now I have those lovely mementos in my planters with the gravel. They are so special to me. I live in Raleigh NC. A KY girl but I like gardening here. Our weather has been crazy too. 95 one week. And 40 last week! I am really enjoying my baskets from your QVC line! Great job it is all so fitting for your unique elegant style! Congratulations. Thank you again for your knowledge and your so gracious!
I never noticed your steps and I just love them and the low rise is it just wonderful such a whimsical lovely garden and the steps look so natural as if this is how they were originally that is something I would do let me stop because I could go on and on with your garden the steps just put me over the edge
I love how you are not too proud to shop at The Goodwill Store. I used to be a snob years ago and now find myself shopping there due to a financial turn of events. I now can relate to being poor but that is life. BTW I love your channel Linda!!!! Very informative. Thanks!
Left Ohio 22nd of may tp Ponca City to visit our daughters family . Lots of rain Oklahoma for sure. Returned to Franklin Ohio on 29th our yard had busted out with color! Pink and red roses 5 leaf Akeba blooming...spiderweb blue so pretty and other perennials with lots of buds ready to open. We have lots of rain this spring, but on those warm days I'm so thankful!❤ love your videos you inspire me and teach me so much Linda Signed Linda from Ohio
I adore your style Linda- your English Tudor dining area is so beautiful! Looking at your space inspires me and I absolutely love your videos- thank you! I now have a few topiaries- love them! We have been fortunate to enjoy a pretty mild spring here in SLC, Utah! We havent had a freezing temp since the middle of April, ( unusual) so we could plant early this year. Today was 95 degrees and we haven't seen rain for a long time, so we are in for a dry, hot summer! A few good rainstorms would be lovely!!
I live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada zone 6b to 7a. We too have had a cool wet spring punctuated by warm spells. I will be planting up my large containers with perennials. Hostas, alchemellia mollis, hardy geraniums, boxwoods, Stella Dora lillies and liatris will be featured. Thank you for continually inspiring me as a gardener.
Absolutely in love with your patio! everything is in the right place and makes for a peaceful and pretty beautiful place to spend some quiet time sipping on a nice cup of tea and reading a good book!
Good afternoon, I’m in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada… zone three. First off I’d like to thank you for these videos. You have given me so much more to think of in the types of plants that one can grow and the visual feel that some plants will give your garden. I’ve bought three scented geraniums and an ivy geranium for hanging baskets, first time. Just planted, yesterday but not situated properly yet! We have had little snow cover this past winter and again are in a drought situation. Little to no rain this spring………. I have a small yard but a beautiful large tree in the back (south facing) giving a respite to some plants who love the sun but enough is enough! There is going to be heat warnings this week, middle 30’s Celsius. I am 69 this year and wish I had found your channel sooner as I have finally found the style of gardening that gives me a sense of peace. I’m a gardener so love mostly all plants but have not until your videos had a sense of exactly how to plant to achieve that feeling. A strong restraining pallet, for one, As you know it takes years to do certain things in a garden and my zone 3 is another stumbling block! Anyhow, sorry this is so long. Thank you again, Linda, from the bottom of my heart!
Tackling the jungle in my back yard. Planted a climbing rose, a vibernum, and 2purple smoke bushes. Just planted a bunch of plant roots and wild flowers and trying 2 clean out all the weeds and debris along perimeter.
☔️ still forecasting for the next week or so! Oh my goodness, whenever I can get in my front foundation beds they have to weeded and maybe some annual planting. The kitchen garden looks a little sad with all the rain, so replanting is in order. Your tour has inspired me to add gravel off my patio with scattered pavers ( I have on hand) in circling the patio out to the kitchen garden and to a seating area behind! I can just see the improvement this would make. Thank you for the inspiration Linda.
Here in southern Indiana it has been cooler than normal temperatures And lots of rain lots and lots of rain! Really the yard and garden is loving it. I covered my vegetable beds with light plastic over Hoops to make mini green houses to encourage warmth and growth. I've also had to pinch off a lot of lower leaves on Bush beans ,🍅 plants and 🍆 to discourage black spot because of the constant rain. I've since removed the plastic and the temperatures are staying at least in the 70s my plants are happy. My hollyhocks, lilies, irises, and fruit trees are better than ever. I hope that we have a longer summer since the warmer temperatures have come in so slow. 🤞
I have been planting mulching etc since March but here in pensacola fl it been reall nice with no humidity but very dry with lil rain but now my weeds are up so I am going to zonal start weeding,, thanks Linda for this!!💕
I'm in south Mississippi. We moved here 7 years ago. I have been out in the garden for over a month working around an unusually wet spring. I just finished planting over 500 amaryllis bulbs that were gifted to me from my oldest son. Almost 200 are very small about the size of a marble. But I'm patient and willing to wait a few years for them to be big enough to bloom. Now I'm working on a fairy garden.
Hi Linda! I’m down near Dallas and we’ve had so much rain that I haven’t had a chance to weed my beds. (Especially one bed in the back with a bird feeder has lots of sprouted seeds that need to be dealt with.) So, first order of business is to weed! I’m thinking tomorrow should be dry enough to get out and begin. Of course, the lawn is growing like crazy and looks beautiful… but needs mowing. That’s what my plans are! As always, I love your videos and your garden is an inspiration to me! Thank you!
I love how your whole demeanor has changed. It’s even more smooth & relaxed, personal & individual. You’re not Martha Stewart, you’re LV, and it’s an authentic level up. It’s great watching you grow into all this & truly own it. After watching that storm devastate you a bit it’s kind of more amazing to see what’s happening now.
I'm in NE Scotland, and we are only just experiencing sunny warm weather at last. It has been a very wet May and April, and we had snow in March ! Seeing your Nandina recover gives me some hope that my two Gulfstream shrubs will do so too. They really took a hit from the snow snap, the leaves went brown and most dropped. Love the top - I'm a thrifter too !
+27 C today in Manitoba Canada. I'm zone 2B/3 we have had bizarre weather too! The warmth is finally opening the hostas! Love your channel and your amazing style!
Hello, I thought I had it bad in Alberta zone 3b/4 if in right location. Just wondering what's your favourite plants that withstand harsh Canadian winters. Specifically greenery plant, so many that Linda has in here yard won't last in Canada and I'm trying to find good alternatives, so I can apply her style but with a Canadian twist. Here is see lilac's and peonies and hosta's a lot, I have all three, they are so reliable! It's +30 here today, it's been crazy hot all week.
Kansas has been cold and rainy too. I love all of your videos you are so genuine and your passion for gardening has inspired me to redo some of my beds I had a bunch of liriope that had become invasive in 2 different beds that was pretty tough and I have a feeling that I may battle it for a few years to come. Next I will work on trimming up a Japanese Maple to give more of an upright architecture. I don’t think I would have had the courage to do this had I not found your channel
Weeding, a late shaping of some shrubs, and finally plant the summer🌼 flowering seedlings!! Love being in my gardens!! Still harvesting a bumper crop of strawberries! ☺️
I’m going to trim my viburnum! Its been frankly an overgrown mess that I didn’t know how to handle, but now I see it in a whole new light thanks to you!
Lovely, serene, and peaceful garden areas. Thanks for explaining how the areas came about, very interesting Linda and you look beautiful as usual 🪴🪴🪴, love the shoes 👡👡👡. We are in between rain storms so I am going to pull some weeds and give the roses a dose of RoseTone.
I just bought some lovely Japanese soft touch holly shrubs and I can’t wait to get them in the ground. They are a bright emerald green and just what my landscape needs. I garden in zone 7b in Lexington, NC and I’ve learned so much from you. I wish you much success with your QVC line!
Thanks Linda I knew that you had find the shirt as a gem in Goodwill or consignment. Thanks big time for the designer name. I’ll google. Please know you have a big impact on my yard.
North of Boston here it rained all weekend but we need it so we didn’t mind at all! It’s 80 degrees today gotta love New England weather. Almost done weeding (is weeding ever really done lol), flagstone walk way and patio are complete, planted a garden of white azaleas evergreens, white bo bo hydrangea, a dwarf Japanese hinoki cypress, nepeta, vinca and transplanted some Montauk daisy along the new walkway. This year instead of mulch I’m using a lobster compost. I put some in our older garden beds last year and everything looks amazing (healthy) and it resembles mulch. Loved hearing the history of your redwood deck, especially love your flagstone step design and you always look amazing!
I'm in Keller, Texas. I have a serious muddy mess in my backyard. I have a place that doesn't drain and it turns into a pond. I plan to fence in the area to make a dog-free zone, then I'm planning to create a "dry" stone creek with a bridge in the area that gets so wet. I have planted a few trees and plan to build some raised flower beds and start a garden. ❤ Love watching your channel while I work as a nurse from home!
Fellow nurse here! We had a similar backyard drainage issue and turned it into a gravel patio and raised bed with a flagstone/river rock path. We made a RU-vid video about the process too (search for Our Life Edited Building a Gravel Patio and it should come up). We also have a bridge over a drainage ditch that might offer some inspiration. Good luck!
I too have been using pea gravel and river pebbles in my backyard project . I find that it has also brighten things up as well as draw extra heat when the sun shines against it which helps my annuals grow better . I get great ideas from your videos and just keep on sending more! Thanks
Love you sharing your thought process in your hardscape/landscape design. Im having troubles figuring the layout and your videos help me understand or think about things maybe I didn't think through. More videos like this please. Thanks.
Hi Linda. Gilly here from Northamptonshire England. The weather has been very cold and wet throughout Spring, but now it's warmed up the weeds are growing rapidly. I shall be weeding, weeding, weeding as I have to open the garden to the public ( for charity) in a few weeks time!! I so love your channel. Thank you so much for all your hard work x
We live right by two canals, and there is a local charity boat which takes the disadvantaged, elderly, and many other deserving groups out for day trips. With lots of fresh air and a slowly moving countryside it is beneficial to all. Everything has been shut down for the last 18 months so time to fund raise with open gardens, and of course tea and home made cakes !!
