#they used to grow in these beds next to a retaining wall around the corner me and my siblings walked to get to school

[ive-got-you-clovered]

[oh-he-grows]

After two weeks of stressing and planning and screwing around in chief architect, I came to the obvious conclusion that I should just make raised beds out of basic-ass pine boards. Here's all the research I did so you don't have to agonize over your potential project. All prices are from Lowes. Below is a cost analysis of my project, which would be for 512' long of raised beds (for a growing area of 1,000 sq ft). I had in-ground beds last year but a massive influx of bunny rabbits ate everything that they could, so I'm looking to lift my plants off the ground a bit.

I was originally planning on using pressure treated 2x8s, but soon got sidetracked into cedar fenceposts and pressure treated landscape timbers, so here's what I eventually found:

Cedar fenceposts are great for a small scale garden. If you need 1 or 2 raised beds, I would recommend cedar fenceposts for cost and longevity purposes. If one piece gets damaged somehow, it's cheap and easy to throw in a replacement. They're incredibly cheap relative to other options, resistant to rot and moisture, beautiful, and can easily fit in almost any vehicle which can't be said for the dimensional lumber. Here's a build video for the most elegant fencepost raised bed I found. Downsides: the fenceposts are very thin, barely half an inch thick-- you can't sit on them or put too much pressure on them. They also require more bracing on the corners and in the middle, as well as a top-strip, as shown below. This is factored into the "Specialty Hardware Cost", and is calculated with pressure treated pine- using cedar for these pieces would look nicer (as below), but are much more expensive and some dimensions are out of stock. They're also a lot of work at scale. For my plan (to look good), I would have to cut off the dogear notch at the top for 280 boards individually, and put four screws each into 280 boards individually, which is an obscene amount of labor and hardware.

Next up are Pressure Treated Landscape Timbers, which I first saw from a Millennial Gardner video where the tagline was "lumber dealers HATE this trick!". Which may be true, but screw manufacturers LOVE this trick. They look really pretty and the wood is extremely cheap, but they're short individually, so you would need to stack 3-4 on top of each other to get the look I'm going for. Most importantly though, these need long screws (50 cents to a dollar each) to connect two boards to each other every 24-48 inches PER layer, and additional rebar if it's being used as a retaining wall, which would be another $4 on every side. The wood is cheap and rot resistant, but the hardware costs creep in.

Cedar boards are too expensive. Flat-out, they cost so much money it's insane. nearly $50 for a single 8' 2"x8" is inordinately expensive for a project like this. For the price of one miniature cedar bed, you could get multiple metal beds that will last decades instead. The final deliberation was between Yellow Pine and Pressure Treated Yellow Pine, and I'm deciding to go with regular untreated pine. The price is an extra 30% - 50% cost, and untreated pine should last (outside of the pacific northwest or florida) for 3-5 years without issues, while pressure-treated could last 10 or more depending on the conditions. Pressure treated boards leaching their chemicals into your food is mostly overstated, as arsenic hasn't been used in the process for 20 years now; although, I understand the reservations about using any chemical so close to food supply. The modern process apparently uses copper-based solutions and various fungicide for copper-resistant strains. I've included two cans of boiled linseed oil in the hardware costs for this to help protect them further, and I might find some kind of plastic or other barrier to protect the wood from direct soil contact to keep them going longer. I think I'm going with the 2x12s as well over the 2x8s, just because I like the idea of a taller bed if I'm just using one board. It's more expensive for sure, and the only thing I'm still deciding on. For the most part it's purely aesthetic, but some plants would prefer a bed larger than 8 inches, so that's why I'm leaning towards 12". It turns out that with the bulk discount that comes with 50 boards, 68 2"x8"s are the same price as 34 2"x12"s, but 4 inches taller. I might have to get some additional 2x4s for corner bracing, but this might be the way. I hope this info helps someone build a raised bed and start gardening, or help their garden become more successful (for cheaper). If I got anything wrong or if there are alternatives let me know, I'd love to hear anybody's thoughts.

[tameblog]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[ramestoryworld]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[alexha2210]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[angusstory]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[tumibaba]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[romaleen]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[monaleen101]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[iamownerofme]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[shelyold]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[iammeandmy]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[januishstory]

Hi GPODers! We’re getting an update from a beautiful garden in Walla Walla, Washington that we’ve seen a couple of times before. Lizzi Gualtieri has shared several photos of her stunning backyard that prioritizes fabulous foliage and drought-tolerant plantings, but with plenty of floral interest in the mix (You can check out those submissions here: Lizzi’s Walla Walla Garden and Walla Walla Backyard Two Years Later). However, instead of another look at her fabulous backyard oasis, today we’re moving to the front of her property and getting a great overview of the project that turned a blank and bare space into a thoughtfully-crafted vegetable garden with ample opportunity for bountiful harvests despite a limited footprint. Hi! You mentioned a bit ago about wanting to see veggie gardens from other regions around the country. Since it’s almost indoor seed starting time, I wanted to share the veggie garden we created in an unused portion of our front yard here in Walla Walla, Washington. They say we’re zone 7a but today it’s more like 6! When we moved here in 2019, our goal was to create a raised bed garden zone with room for espaliered apple trees, a fig tree, raspberries, herb garden and compost bins and we wanted it to look good because it’s in the front yard. We designed and built the space ourselves over the course of a year (COVID! we had a lot of time on our hands) The only portion we hired out was the leveling and the retaining wall. I thought it would be fun to show progress photos rather than just the finished project. If you’d like to see more photos of my garden projects, I’ve just started an Instagram account: @mywallawallagarden The process photos are from 2021-2022 when we started by clearing some diseased trees and overgrown shrubs out of the west side yard. We saved the existing raspberries and they lived in pots for a year. We had the area leveled and a retaining wall installed and converted sprinklers to drip irrigation. We installed 6” steel edging all around and this view is looking from our front walk into the future garden. This is photo of the finished arbor which will eventually be covered with clematis and roses. We used 1/2” threaded rod as our climbing support poles. The permanent raspberry bed has supports similar in style to the arbor and also uses the 1/2” threaded rod as horizontal supports. This shot was taken before we put in all of the gravel. Here’s a view of the finished corner espalier. The ‘Celeste’ variety fig tree (Ficus carica ‘Celeste’, Zones 6–8) is planted just beyond. Here’s another view showing the raised beds and one of the compost bins. The beds are 4’ x 8’ with a wide top to sit, stand or kneel on. The space between is enough to get a wheelbarrow through. The next few images are from this summer showing how the garden has evolved. Our apple trees are still too young to start bearing, although I’m hoping for apples next year. We planted a ‘Belle de Boskop’ (Malus domestica ‘Belle de Boskoop’, Zones 4–9) and a ‘Liberty’ (M. ‘Liberty’, Zones 5–8). The low hedge around the outside of trees is germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, Zones 5–9) which is an easy care pollinator magnet! On the inside we planted saffron bulbs (Crocus sativus, Zones 5–8) that we harvested late fall. This is looking north from the back of the garden with a culinary sage in the foreground. There is corn, kale, fava beans and snow peas planted along the house with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, squash, beans and cantaloupe. Arugula freely seeds between the compost bins and we have marigolds to attract beneficial insects. And finally the view looking south with the pig fence arches in the foreground. The arches allow for so much more to grow in this relatively small space. We grow more that we can eat or preserve, sharing with friends and neighbors with the exception of the garlic, you can never have too much garlic! Thank you so much for this incredible garden project with us, Lizzi! It’s amazing the possibilities you were able to envision for this space, and even more impressive that you were able to make those possibilities a gorgeous reality. I hope this year brings another great harvest, and that we get more photos from your fabulous gardens. Remember that you can see more photos from Lizzi’s garden right now by checking out her Instagram: @mywallawallagarden. And if you’re interested in showcasing your veggie garden like she did, share your photos with the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your garden via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.   Have a garden you’d like to share? Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit! To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden. Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening! Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here. Fine Gardening Recommended Products The Crevice Garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. These striking garden features provide perfect conditions for the plants native to these far-off places, bringing the cultivation of these precious gems within everybody’s reach. Gardener's Log Book from NYBG Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs. This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers. Source link

[jadisisbusy]

Eremin modern AU headcanons from a long-time shipper😍

• Cuddles. Every day. Any time. Usually initiated by Eren. Change my mind. 

• They try to always spend time with each other at the end of the day by cooking together, video games, movie night, or story time. Armin reading to Eren, of course. 

• Eren teaches Armin how to surf because despite loving marine life, Armin's always been afraid of going in the water because he was pinched by a crab and stung by a jelly fish when he was little. Currently has a love/hate fascination for jelly fish. 

• Armin begged Eren to grow his hair out before senior year of high school so Eren compromised by asking Armin to chop his off. Both ended up liking their new looks and kept them for quite some time. 

• Eren is secretly a huuuge softy but doesn't like showing that side to him to just anyone. Sometimes he’ll let it slide while with close friends but Armin’s seen the full extent. 

• Eren always finds new ways to address Armin. Ar, Ari, Min, bro, dude, my guy, homie, luv, beautiful, gorgeous, babe, hunny and anything that will tease Armin. Blondie because of Armin’s love for Tangled, bunny because of the time Historia dressed Armin as a slutty bunny for halloween, Minnie because Armin relates that to Minnie Mouse and cringes because of it, hot stuff because it makes Armin cringe, and cutie when Armin is getting flustered to fluster him even more. 

• In the POV that you are standing at the foot of the bed, Armin sleeps on the left side and Eren on the right. If the bed is cornered against the walls, Armin will always be on the inside because he likes curling up in small areas to sleep. Especially if he just HAS to sleep against Eren 😙 Sometimes they'll switch sides so they can sleep in eachother's scent. Usually in hot weather since physical contact is too much.

• Eren sleeps like a rock while Armin can't sleep as easy. Usually Eren doesn't wake when Armin curls up next to him which helps him sleep better. 

• Eren's a living furnace and Armin is an ice cube. He also uses Eren’s pecs as pillows. Big mommy milkers. Wait- daddy milkers..? Bah, You get it.

• Eren gets pretty bad nightmares that has him talking in his sleep. Armin always wakes him up from them and cuddles him immediately

• Both are so touchy-feely without even realizing. Armin makes sure their PDA isn't too much but they always hold hands, touch eachother's shoulders, backs, arms when they get the chance. Simple gestures like guiding each other along, pats of affirmation, and stroking their hair away from eachother's eyes. Eren never gives up the chance to wrap his arm around the blond (because he's possessive) and likes nestling into Armin's hair. Armin usually nestles in Eren's neck or chest while playing with Eren's long hair. 

• Those two are like velcro. Easy to stick together harder to pull away.

• Armin had a crush on Eren all throughout childhood but Eren was oblivious enough not to notice. Armin still wonders if Eren was lying about how oblivious he was because Armin had it bad for him and everyone and their uncle knew. But it went right over Eren's head. 

• Eren is an effortless flirt which first got Armin very flustered in the beginning of the relationship. But as years past, Armin usually assumed that flirting meant Eren forgot to do something like pay the bills or go grocery shopping and was just trying to let Armin down slowly. Armin being a huge skeptic usually askes "What did you do now?"

• While Eren finds it hard to focus in most conversations, he could listen to Armin gush about science all day long. Armin makes everything knowledgeable more retainable for Eren because of how passionately he speaks. He finds it so attractive because he wish he had the mental capacity himself to remember things as much as Armin. 

• Armin has anxiety and depression (as well as Eren) and he usually gets really worked up and worried about loosing Eren because he feels he isn't good enough with Eren quickly remedies with talks and kisses

• Eren has ADHD, depression, anxiety, and PTSD mostly from his mother passing and is often very over stimulating for Armin but they talk things through constantly.

• Eren definitely has Armin beat in being a bigger attention whore. With his mom passing in his childhood and Grisha neglecting him, he clings to Armin constantly to fill that love affection part in his life. Armin doesn't mind mostly but sometimes needs to have talks with Eren about it saying he needs some space to breathe. Especially in their honeymoon phase.

• Eren is super protective and possessive but not to the point where he controls Armin. He is just very afraid of the idea of someone trying to take Armin away from him. Armin likes the attention but sometimes needs to talk with Eren about how he needs some room to get work done. 

NSFW (or suggestive)

• Consent and constant verbal praise. Period. Eren uses the shit out of saying 'good boy.' It's a huge no-go on 'daddy' though since neither really had present father's in their life and often want to forget that.

• Eren is definitely bigger but Armin is kinda packing as well 😳

• Eren will say some of the nastiest shit to Armin in public and fluster the blond up with the straightest face. And if they've been together long enough, Armin would do the same back with a straight face. Sometimes has Eren beat. Rarely. 

• Sex drive is pretty high but you wouldn't hear that from Armin. He's pretty private about his sex life, hence why he's so shy about first getting intimate with Eren. He doesn't have the expirience like Eren does. But those two fuck like rabbits. 

• Eren's a fucking animal istg. It gives Armin such a high being underneath him when Eren's really revved up.

• Armin loves being catered to and Eren is all for it. But Armin is also very sensitive to touch yet craves it (as a result of not growing up with parents, lack of love and touch. Same with Eren). His waist, stomach, neck, and thighs are his most sensitive spots. Big list. So Eren sometimes mistakes Armin's overstimulation as discomfort. But make him feel good enough and Armin would probably beg for more. 

• Eren's scalp is super sensitive which makes's Armin's massages all the better. But sometimes Armin will use it against him and will give his hair a good tug when he wants Eren to moan or break. Other places he likes touched are his back, arms, and shoulders. 

• Eren’s obsessed with Armin’s chest and nipples which often makes it hard for Armin to go to the beach shirtless 😳

• Eren who swore he's always dom changed pretty quickly after meeting Armin. Now he's a switch (predominantly dom), or more so always has been but denied it up until Armin came along. 

• It takes a long time for Armin to comfortably warm up and loosen up during more intimate times since deep down he's a fucking freak in the sheets. He loves being controlled but super curious about dabbling in controlling someone else. And instead of Eren being appalled like Armin would of guessed, Eren supports the blond 100%. Experimentation!

• Armin has always wanted to fuck Eren but has been too shy to admit it since he is a pretty submissive person. Once Eren finds out later in the relationship, he's all for it. Turns out when being fucked, Eren's a lot more talkative and Armin gets more hyper-analytical in finding the best way to please the brunet without ruining the mood. But Eren adores his intellect so he doesn't mind. 

• The two were childhood best friends turned lovers and it helped make their sex with each other so laid back and casual when they wanted given they're already so comfortable with each other. They also had sex pretty early in their romantic relationship also because of this. 

• Armin is super flexible physically. Eren usually tries some pretty wacky positions for the fun of it but their favorites are (reverse) cowgirl and doggy. Armin would always go for reverse cowgirl because when he gets tired, he can hover himself over Eren with his back against his chest while Eren underneath him fucks him senseless. Quick change of roles instead of switching to another position and taking longer. Eren likes doggy and cowgirl because with cowgirl he can see the blond's face and doggy gives him all the power to go animal on the blond. Both can solidly agree on missionary no matter who's topping. 

• Cuddles after sex. Period. Doesn't matter how sweaty. The after care with these two... chefs kiss.

• Armin’s always been more skeptical of using sex toys since he didn’t want to make Eren feel like he wasn’t good enough and pleasuring. But Eren came to the blond first about trying fleshlights together which led to vibrators, dildos, etc.

[whythinktoomuch]

stranded in memory

It’s not clear how Lex has managed to pull it off, but he did; he got into Supergirl’s head, and he did it quite literally so as to achieve it quite figuratively, and now Kara Danvers might be lost forever. 

It’s after the second attack—the second time Supergirl storms into the DEO to demand, where are you keeping them?—when they first notice the ugly scar at the base of her neck. 

Red and angry, poorly healed despite living on Kryptonian skin. 

No one manages to get close enough to examine it though, what with Supergirl tearing through metal walls and burning down entire facilities to conduct her frenzied search. 

But whatever it is, the mechanism embedded in her skull has somehow made it so that Supergirl can look Alex Danvers right in the eye and strike her down with heat vision for masquerading as her sister. 

The resulting burns forcibly put Alex on bed rest despite extensive, swear-riddled protest. 

“It appears that Kara’s retained all her memories, but none of ties to reality that would allow her to recognize you,” Brainy concludes to the comfort of absolutely no one. 

“Well, is she even Kara anymore then? Shouldn’t we approach this like we would any other threat?” asks one lone agent, subjecting himself to Alex’s absolute unmitigated fury in the process. 

Lena keeps her distance at first. She’s seen the damage:  

her penthouse somehow upended, 

countless conference rooms and offices at L-Corp torn apart, 

the entirety of National City scrambling for cover as Supergirl makes reckless use of all her superpowers. 

And she knows that Supergirl must be looking for her too. Lex wouldn’t have done any of it, without the guarantee that Lena would end up coerced into direct involvement. It wouldn’t be worth it otherwise. 

And so, she locks herself away in an underground, lead-lined panic room, built for such an occasion. 

Because... well, if it’s true that Supergirl almost killed her own sister, how could Lena ever hope to survive the encounter? She wasn’t even on good terms with the Supergirl that would remember her in the first place.  

But then, things grow darker and even more dire. No one’s died yet, by some unbelievable stroke of luck, but there have been many close calls. So many that the city has started losing faith in their own Girl of Steel. 

And Supergirl has been winding down, slowly but surely, her physical condition unable to keep pace with her inner drive. It won’t be long before some branch of the government or another successfully shoots her down, but there’s only one that will never go for the kill shot. 

So, Lena finally resurfaces and joins forces with what’s left of the DEO, and gets to work on a kryptonite-powered snare. It almost works. 

Supergirl flies right into the trap, immediately twined by thick cords of sickly bright green wrapping around her body. She starts thrashing against her bonds, growling out warnings in a dead language whenever anyone tries to get close. 

"Okay, this isn’t working, guys,” Dreamer says, after her third attempt and subsequent failure to grab hold of the wrists tied behind Supergirl’s back. “She’s still too strong.” 

But at the sound of Dreamer’s voice, the red disappears from Supergirl’s eyes. She sits up, startled, and calls out, “Nia?” 

They’re all overwhelmed with relief then—Supergirl, and maybe even Kara, included—because at last, Lex’s device seems to have worn off.

But when Supergirl turns around to greet Dreamer, finally face to smiling face, a darkness sweeps back over her features. “You,” she says, her tone strangled with bitterness. “Who the hell are you, and what did you do with Nia?” 

Dreamer frowns, utterly baffled. “Kara, what are you talking about? It’s me... Nia.” But she takes a step too close, and Supergirl headbutts her into the ground. 

A brawl ensues, and Supergirl manages to throw everyone off her and escape by way of ungainly, lumbering flight, still bundled in kryptonite laced restraints against all impossibility. 

They find the mangled contraption some miles away in pieces. 

Nia’s head is very bruised and somewhat concussed, but she thankfully emerges from the medical bay relatively unscathed. 

Ultimately, Lena’s the one who figures it out, by repeatedly asking for the play-by-play of the failed capture and then reviewing the body cam footage for further research. There’s no way to know for sure, of course, but time is definitely running out, with Supergirl now facing an entire fleet of military aircraft armed with kryptonite. So, Lena takes her findings and rushes onto the scene. 

Supergirl is making her last stand, forced into a final corner with her back against the wall, eyes still blazing with heat vision. Until she hears a familiar voice crackling in her ear, the DEO comms whirring back to life. 

“Kara?” calls the voice, and Supergirl becomes a statue, breath stuttering, almost unwilling to believe her own ears. “Kara, can you hear me...?” 

“Lena...” Supergirl says her name like a prayer, a slight tremor starting up in her legs and traveling all over. “You’re okay? Oh god, you’re okay...” 

Everyone starts yelling then—Alex and Brainy and Nia, nameless stiff-lipped military men trying to secure a clear shot at the fallen hero—but Lena heeds none of it as she walks onto the battlefield. Supergirl whips her head around, regarding her approach with suspicion. 

“It’s still me,” Lena says through the earpiece. “Right now, I’m just in the lexo-suit for my own safety.” 

“I... I can’t see your face...” 

“I know, Kara. I know.” 

Lena, now firmly in the way of anyone who plans on taking aim at Supergirl, stops just a few short steps away from her. “Okay, I need you to trust me now, Kara.” 

And Kara, the Girl of Steel now fallen to dust, starts to cry. “Something’s wrong, Lena,” she says. “Something is so terribly wrong with me, and I don’t know what to do...” 

“I know, and it’s going to be okay,” Lena says, her own emotions sealed away behind purpose. “But right now, I just need you to trust me. Do you trust me, Kara?” 

Kara nods right away, one hand roughly swiping at her eyes. 

“Close your eyes.”

Kara draws back, shoulders stiffening, a bright red gathering in her gaze. 

“Kara, it’s still me,” Lena tells her gently. “I can come to you, but you just need to close your eyes first.” 

“Why?” Kara demands. 

“Do you trust me?” 

Kara’s eyes run all over the sleek design of the lexo-suit, swallowing hard when her x-ray vision can’t breach the surface. “It’s you?” 

“It’s me, I promise.” 

Kara shuts her eyes, disappearing the threat of heat vision along with the darkened blue of her sunken gaze. Warnings come flooding through Lena’s earpiece from well-meaning almost friends, but she gets out of the suit anyway. The tell-tale hydraulic hiss of the lexo-suit opening brings a low rumble to Kara’s chest, but her eyes still remain shut tight.   

“All right, Kara. I’m right here, okay?” Lena says, and Kara struggles to keep her eyes closed at the sound of her voice, now unfettered by technology or static. “No, you’re okay, Kara. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m right here.” 

Lena repeats the sentiment a few times as she approaches Kara in a careful stride. The closer she gets, the harder Kara breathes, teeth gritted and grinding in frustration. 

“Hey, I’m here,” Lena says once within reach, and Kara’s hand shoots out, catching Lena around the wrist. It’s a painful grasp, but Lena grimaces her way through it. “It’s me. You can tell... right?” 

“... Yes,” comes the trembling, grateful answer. 

“Your mind’s playing tricks on you,” Lena explains to her, still soft, still gentle. “Lex did something to your brain, and... you’re just having some trouble trusting what you see right now. But we’re going to fix it, okay?” 

“Okay.” Kara squeezes her eyes shut even harder, and finally lets her hand slip off Lena’s tender, bruised wrist. 

As Lena starts unwinding the scarf from her neck, she lets her eyes roam all over Kara’s face; she’s never been quite this close before. It looks a little different at the moment, somewhat worse for the wear. Deep creases in her strong brow, lips worried and worn, ash and blood of innocent bystanders smudged across one cheek, and her eyes... fluttering, but firmly shut. 

All it would take is one blink, Lena realizes. One look, and she could very well lose her life in Kara’s arms. 

Kara’s breath hiccoughs when she feels soft cotton wrapping around her head, smelling of Lena’s sweat and perfume, and covering her eyes. And all at once, she’s surrounded by the people she loves. 

Alex embracing her and tugging her to safety, whispering words of regret and forgiveness into her hair. 

Brainy and Nia patting at her shoulders, squeezing her hands, as they offer all sorts of affirmations. 

But Kara reaches out, blindly and yet somehow all too aware, and manages to snag the hem of Lena’s shirt. She gently, desperately tugs Lena closer. “You’ll stay with me?” 

A warm hand carefully undoes Kara’s grip on the shirt, inviting it instead in a tangled grasp, both firm and comforting. 

“Always,” Lena says. 

(next part here)

[randomrosewrites]

Bittersweet Dreams

Every night, your mind is plagued with visions of an old Liyue. She blesses your nights, like a guardian angel, but you never remember her face or name when the sun rises again.

Pairing: Ganyu X GN reader Words: ~5K Warnings/ tags: Memory loss, reincarnation, blood and injury, death, fluff and angst, happy ending, implied sexual content a/n: I never thought much of Ganyu, until I dreamt of her one night (which unspiringly inspired this fic) and now I'm hooked. Patiently awaiting her rerun.

She comes to you in a dream.

You can tell it’s her from the feeling of it. Warm. Comfortable. It loosens your muscles (if you even have muscles in dreams) and puts your mind at ease. It makes you sleepy, wanting to lie down on the soft hills of grass under the shade of a tree to take a nap.

You don’t know exactly where ‘this’ is, whether or not it’s in the fields of your home, Liyue, or some other place. It looks like Liyue, with the craggy mountains behind you, and the bubbling stream running down the hill. But it feels different.

Then, you see her.

You don’t know what – or who – she is exactly, because you can never get a clear view of her. Everything blurs around her body. But you know she’s there, know she’s waiting for you. Sitting in a pocket of empty grass, sounded by glaze lilies, feet tucked underneath her as she naps.

She starts when you approach, uncurling herself to sit up properly. She smiles. She says your name – at least you think it’s your name, it feels like your name – and pats the spot beside her.

You wade through the flowers and sit down, so close to her that your legs are touching. It’s rather close even for friends, but with her, it feels right. How it should be.

She never talks much. For a dream or a vision, she never has much to say. Only whispering in a soft voice about how pretty the flowers are, or how beautiful the day is. The silence is good. A brief period of peace.

(Peace from what? You always wonder when you wake, but no matter how many times you re-enter the dream, you always forget to ask.)

This dream always ends in the same way.

“You should get some rest,” she says.

“What about you?” you always respond, the words feel foreign in your mouth – like they’re not yours.

She shakes her head. “I’ll be alright. Rest, and have peaceful dreams.”

You rest your head in her lap, as you’ve done a thousand times before. Her hand cradles your head, brushing through your hair lovingly.

“Who are you?” “Why are you doing this?” “What is this?” – You always want to ask, but no matter what you try, the words never come out, tongue glued to the roof of your mouth.

Just like every time, your eyes grow heavy, your body grows weak, and you close your eyes, falling asleep once more.

…

..

.

When you wake, you’re never in the flowery fields anymore, but in bed staring at the ceiling. The hum of noise vibrates through the wall, employees at the Inn already getting up to do their daily tasks.

You sigh and rub your eyes, rolling around for another ten minutes before finally getting up.

By the time you dress and leave your room, you’ve forgotten all about the dream.

---

“Good morning, Mrs. Goldet,” you great sleepily, rubbing your eyes.

Verr Goldet looks up from the counter and nods. “Good morning, sleep well?”

You give the cat laying on the counter a few scratches. “As good as always. I had a nice dream.”

She blinks slowly. “What did you dream of?”

You turn away, heading out of the doorway to start your chores. “Her. As always.”

As you disappear, Verr Goldet’s brows furrow and she frowns. It dissolves the second a customer walks into the lobby, ready to check in.

---

You’ve been working and living at the Wangshu Inn for a while now. Free room and food for helping out every day, with Sundays off. It’s a good deal.

You do odd tasks around the Inn, helping out in the kitchen, moping the floors whenever travelers track in mud from the marsh – things like that.

Days are spent polishing the balconies, evenings are spent wiping down dinner tables, and you when the moon is high in the sky, you sleep.

And dream.

---

There are many people in the crowd, packed tight together under the hot midday sun. Guili plains is alive in celebration. Booths are set up on either side of the streets, the smell of delicious food wafts through the air, and colorful decorations hang everywhere. You push through them, scanning the sea of heads for a particular person. She’s not hard to miss, but everywhere you turn, she evades your sight. Anxiety begins to bubble in your stomach – the speech will start soon, and you want to be with her when it begins.

A cold hand falls on your shoulder. Turning around, you sigh with relief.

“There you are,” you yell over the noise of the crowd. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She smiles, showing off fresh Qingxin flowers in her hand. “Sorry, I was distracted by a stall. Would you like some?”

You take her free hand and kiss it. A red blush forms on the apples of her cheeks. “They’re all yours.”

Hand in hand, the two of you make your way towards an elaborate stage, raised high above the people, crafted out of rock and decorated with gold. Many people are gathered around, waiting patiently, holding umbrellas to protect from the sun or fanning themselves off with whatever they have. The two of you take your seats just as the theatrics begin.

There’s a cry, and a point of fingers as the audiences’ attention is turned towards the sky. Hailing in rays of light are two of the Adeptus, taking the form of cranes. One of them a gold and orange, the other blue and white.

Cloud Retainer, you’ve heard (?????) call her Adeptus.

They land on stage and spread their wings out in a flourish.

“People of Guili,” Cloud Retainer begins. Her voice ringing out like a crystal bell. “On behalf of all the Adepti we would like to welcome you here.”

“We hope you have all enjoyed the festivities,” the gold and orange bird speaks next. “Today’s celebration marks not only the anniversary of the creation of Guili, but to also pay homage to the warriors that have fought and are still fighting in the ongoing war. Because of the date’s significance, the Lord of Geo and Lady of Dust have decided to bless all of use with their presence.”

The two birds spread their wings once more. Cloud Retainer raises her head high in the air. “People of Guili, I now present to you, the Lord of Geo – Morax and the Lady of Dust – Guizhong.”

At the mention of their Gods, the people break into a round of applause, this only increases when a man and woman appear onstage, and everyone rises to show their respects. They’re both dressed beautifully, in fine silk-robes, adorned with smears of make-up around their eyes. Your goddess looks divine, accepting the praise with a warm smile. Morax, on the other hand, gazes out towards the crowd, sharp gold eyes piercing anything in his sight.

Morax – though you have nothing but respect for him – has always been a bit enigmatic to you. You can’t imagine what your Goddess sees in him. But their companionship has what lead you to become acquainted with her, so you’re not complaining.

Morax steps forth on stage, raising a hand. The crowd goes silent instantly.

��Thank you for the warm welcome,” Morax’s voice is rich and calm. Beside you, your companion is sitting at full attention, gnawing on her bottom lip in anxiety. She startles as you place a hand over hers. She smiles thankfully, some of the tension leaving her, before returning her full attention to the couple on stage.

“This land has seen many years of fighting,” your Lord’s words are wispy yet firm, just like dust being blown through the wind. “Many, many people have suffered at the bloody hands of war. Such heinous acts stain the land red, spreading sorrow on every inch of the earth.”

She gathers a breath, and when she speaks again, her voice is strong, that of a warrior who has fought in battle. “But not here. Guili will be – is – a place where there is respite. It’s the beginning of the future, a future where the monsters of today are nothing but a kids-bedtime story in the future.”

Guizhong touches her chest with one hand, the other extending out towards the crowd. “I make this vow to you now – my precious people – we will fight to protect the lives of each and every one of you. I promise you security, prosperity, and peace. One day, the bloodshed will end, and I promise you, when that time comes, when the dust has finally settled, we will lead you into the new age of Liyue. To this, I swear on the very ground I walk upon.”

There is nothing but pride, joy, and determination emanating from the crowd, applauding the Lady’s finest speech. Even Morax is smiling at her, the small corner of his mouth quirking upwards.

Cool fingers squeeze yours. Looking over, there are tears in your friend’s eyes. She blinks them away, the wind tousling her blue hair.

She’s beautiful. Your heart squeezes painfully as you fight the urge to lean over and kiss her.

You squeeze her hand back, letting all of your hopes, feelings, and things unsaid pool between the two of you.

---

There is an Adeptus at the Wangshu Inn.

You know little of the Adepti, but seeing the boy (being?) in front of you, there’s no doubt in your mind that he is one.

His sharp eyes slide over to meet yours, run up and down your person, before returning to your face, then back to staring at the marsh.

“Sir Xiao?” you ask. “I’ve brought you dinner.”

Xiao doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t even acknowledge your presence. You were warned he would be like this - bitterly stubborn and unresponsive.

You settle the plate down by your feet. “It’ll be here if you feel like eating.”

You wait a minute longer, but Xiao doesn’t make a peep. You sigh and turn to go back inside.

“Do you remember Guili?” he whispers suddenly, so quiet you nearly mistake it for being the wind.

You spin around. “Do I what?”

“Guili. Remember Guili.”

“…Remember? It’s an ancient ruin,” your brows furrow as you frown. “I’ve only been there maybe once or twice, passing by.”

A painful second goes by.

“Why, am I supposed to know something about it?”

From what you can see of his face, Xiao grimaces. “Nothing, just – just forget it.”

“You can’t just-”

“I said forget it,” he snaps, his voice cracking at the end of his words. “You don’t – I thought you – ” He rubs his face with his hand, breaths deeply. “It’s nothing. Please just leave.”

He gets up suddenly and leaps from the balcony before you can even speak. Leaving both the tofu and you alone on the balcony, a cold ache spreading through your heart.

---

She’s nervous, you think. Abnormally so.

Jueyun Karst is safe, kept watch over by Morax’s Adepti and the Qilin in the clouds. Only select few are allowed up where you are – (There was a smug steak of satisfaction when Cloud Retainer begrudgingly let you traverse her abode atop the mountains, Ganyu smiling gleefully as she held your hand.) – and even less are allowed to set foot on the sacred lands.

She’s been shifting for the past hour, unable to focus on conversation and jittery. Ever so often, she rubs her hands over her horns in a pacifying motion, then as if realizing what she’s doing, abruptly tears her hands away.

“Is the upcoming battle bothering you?” you ask, finally, not being able to stand her fidgeting much longer.

She stiffens, surprised that she’s been found out, and dips her head in embarrassment. “Oh. No, it’s not that…”

“…Ok. If not that, then what?”

She swallows thickly. She turns to you, taking both of your hands in hers, refusing to meet your eyes.

“I was wondering…I mean I hope,” she starts, nervously. “That after this is over…all of it…that maybe…you’d, um…”

You’re patient, gently prompting her, “I’d?”

“W-well, that we could…?” she trails off, squeezing your hands again. “That this…could be s-something more.”

Oh. Oh.

Your chest heats as you lean forwards, whispering her name to the wind. She squeaks raising her head.

“I like you,” you sigh, unable to stop the loving cadence in your tone when you say it. “A lot. So whatever concerns you have just know that…anything you want is…it’s all good.”

She’s silent for a moment as your heart pounds against your ribs. Slowly, she tilts her head towards yours, resting your foreheads together. Her cheeks are so hot, unlike the cryo vision strapped to her side.

“I like you a lot, too,” she says. “I don’t really have…any…experience with something like this but um…I’d like to try.”

Your heart soars, leaps, and does a flip twice over. You smile so hard your cheeks hurt. “Can I ask you a question, now?”

She blinks, nodding her head.

“May I kiss you?”

She wets her lips with her tongue and nods again, vigorously.

You close the distance, firmly kissing her lips. They’re soft and plush, warmer than you’d imagined. (Because you have imagined this, many, many nights before.) A mix between a gasp and a pleasured sigh escapes her, the noise only heating you up further.

When you pull back, she’s turned three different shades of pink and her eyes are glazed. You rest your head against hers and wrap your arms around her waist, feeling the curves and dips of her body, squeezing at the skin there.

“Good?” you ask.

She nods, tucking her head onto your shoulder. “Mhm.”

At some point, you lie down together, tangled in limbs, listening to the sounds of each other’s breathing and heart beats as Liyue’s night sky sparkles with constellations.

It’s only much later, when you hear the screams, that you realize peace is fleeting in this world.

---

You pant heavily, setting the last box down on the ground and flop on the stairs. Five in total, weighing gods know how much. Each one filled to the brim with legal documents from Liyue Harbor. You had suffered through carrying them one-by-one up the stairs as the elevator had conveniently decided to break this morning.

You push the box with your foot, sliding it with the others against the wall. If this is how much paperwork the Inn gets, you don’t even want to know how much paperwork the Qixing have to deal with. (Then again, it was the Qixing that dictated the laws, so perhaps it was well deserved.)

Verr Goldet had taken one look at them and called it an early day, leaving you to handle closing.

At least your day is done now. You hang the keys up in their proper place, pet the cat goodnight, and begin blowing out the lanterns.

“Um…excuse me?”

The sudden voice startles you, turning towards the entrance. A figure stands in the doorway, silhouetted by the moonlight. You can’t make their identity out.

“Could I speak to Mrs. Goldet? It’s about the recent delivery of paperwork.”

“Mrs. Goldet is away right now; I could take a message?”

The person nods, steps through the threshold, and your mouth goes dry.

She’s tall. Eloquently dressed with hair the color of Glaze Lilies. It frames her face, falling down her back in delicate curls. As you stare, stary eyes blink back at you in shock.

She seems familiar.

“I’m…sorry…” she says, turning away quickly. “I-I’ll just come back tomorrow-”

The tassel of her outfit swings as she does a complete 180. Her hair is furled out, exposing the smooth expanse of her back. The sight sends a throb to your temple, the scene feeling reminiscent of…something.

Your head is aching.

“W-wait!” you reach out and grab her arm, catching on the cuff of her sleeve. The motion rattles the necklace around her neck – no, not a necklace – a bell. The chime crisp like morning frost, soft like the way she feels, like the way she-

Pain bursts from your temples, piercing both sides of your head. You cry, loosing your grip in the process. There’s a muffled yell before the world blurs, spins, and sends you tumbling down, down, down, into the dark.

And then, there’s a hallow nothing.

---

She comes to you in a dream, but Liyue is not as it once was.

There is fire everywhere you look, the ground scorched by flames or destroyed in the aftermath of intense fights. The air is thick with smog, choking you with each gasp you take. One of your legs isn’t working and blood pools through your fingers pressed tightly against your side. You don’t know how much further you can make it.

You hobble through destroyed fields, corpses littering the ground, blood seeping into the earth. All of the glaze lilies are gone, wiped out in the destruction.

You cross the river on one leg. You slip on a rock and lose your footing, collapsing into the water. It’s freezing, the sensation colliding with the burn of your wound. You shiver and suck air through your chattering teeth, dragging yourself using your arms. Your side screams in pain at every pull, black spots dance in your vision. You grit your teeth and dig your fingers into the dirt, pushing forward.

Not yet, you can’t die just yet.

You exhaust yourself at the edge of what used to be the flower field, rolling onto your back and wheezing at the sky. This is as far as you’ll go. Mud soaks through your clothes. You dig your fingers into it, grounding yourself from the searing pain.

You hear the chime of her bell before you see her, crisp and pleasant, soothing your mind. She cries out your name, fear and desperation in her voice. You call back, a cracked, soft groan.

The bell draws closer and she rushes to your side, kneeling in the dirt. Her hair’s a mess, dirty and singed. Her sleeve is torn, blood dripping down her pale forearm. She pulls you onto her lap and rushes to tend to your wounds, pressing a hand to your side. She’s never been a healer, only a fighter. A strong fighter. Stronger than you could have ever hoped to be.

“You’ll be fine,” she says to herself more than you. She nudges you gently. “Please stay awake just a bit longer.”

You take her hand and squeeze it tight. Smiling takes all of the will you have, and even then, it’s weak. “It’s alright.”

She shakes her head. Her eyes – such pretty eyes – wide and filled with tears. “Please don’t go. I can’t…”

“Morax,” you croak. “There’s still him.” Your goddess, Guizhong might be gone, but he’s still alive. As enigmatic as he is, you know she’ll be safe in his care.

“I care about that!” she shouts, for the first time ever, her anger directed at you. “I’m not talking about a god to follow, I’m talking about you!”

She’s sobbing now, her eyes swollen red, teeth clenched tightly through her gasps. She curls around you, fingers grasping at your bloody clothes.

You lean your head into her, offering what little comfort someone dying can offer their partner.

“I’m sorry, Ganyu…” The life is fading from your body, your fingers and toes are so, so cold. “For leaving you like this…”

She gives up on the wound, wrapping her arms tightly around you, burying her head onto your chest, over her heart. Pitiful whimpers leave her mouth, awful sounds that make your heart ache.

“I love you,” she confesses, the words coming out as a sob. “I love you.”

Your heart squeezes. “I love you too, please…”

But the words don’t come. The ache in your side is almost unbearable, growing worse and worse with each shallow breath you manage. You fight to keep your eyelids open, but you’re so tired. And sleep has never been more appealing.

“Rest, now,” she coos, combing your matted hair from your face. You feel the small, delicate press of chapped lips on your forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The void calls, gathering you into its arms, wrapping you in a warm bundle; warning you that your time’s up. You fight against it a bit longer, mustering up the last of your consciousness to tell Ganyu – you friend, partner, lover, one final thing.

“Forgive yourself.”

She bites her lip, fresh tears forming in her eyes. She nods. You’re relieved.

Her form wavers, and you know you can’t stay any longer. You let your eyelids close, your breathing slows, and you give yourself to eternal sleep.

…

..

.

“Sweet Dreams…” she whispers after a long while, in a soft, saddened voice.

---

You wake up alone, sweating in your bed, in tears, and remember.

---

The climb to Quicing Village is long and straining. You could have taken the path to the west, but stubborn as you were, wanted to save time by scaling the mountain.

You don’t know what drew you to this place, only a tugging at your heart forcing you forward. A firm belief that you’re heading where you need to go.

It’s easier the further up you go. You’ve done this before, in another life, as another person. You remember scaling mountains all the time, just to pick the freshest Qingxin petals for her. You used to eat them together, on the tops of Mount Azjong, legs dangling in midair, watching the birds go by, the wind nipping at your skin.

It’s not long before you reach the top, where the path dips to overlook the village. Fields of red, blue, and yellow stretching over the lands.

You let yourself wander, talking to the villagers as you go. Everyone is so nice, excited to talk to a new stranger in town. The air’s so fresh and the grass is so green, it reminds you of those days in the fields of glaze lilies.

You almost stop breathing when a familiar scent flows by on the wind. Sweet, fresh, cool. One you’re very well acquainted with. You rush forward, running towards the smell faster than your legs can carry you.

She’s sitting in a field of flowers. Just like the ones in your dreams, except there’s only one glaze lily, resting by her knees and cupped in her palms. You slow down and take the stone paths carefully, as to not to disturb the environment.

You stop just behind her, clearing your throat. She startles with a jump, turning around. Your face heats in embarrassment.

“Ah…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Her lips, which are slightly parted, close. She shakes her head. “It’s quite alright…I was just enjoying the day.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

She pauses, then nods wordlessly. You settle down in the grass beside her, a visible gap between the two of you. There are many things you are unsure of. Does she even want you here anymore? Does she just want to forget what happened?

“[First] is your name, correct?” she says eventually.

“Oh – yes, it is.”

She nods, staring out over the river. Another silence befalls you.

“I’ve dreamt of you,” you blurt. “For a while. It comes back in chunks. The memories of my past.”

“That usually happens with reincarnation. The soul is the same but the body and mind doesn’t remember, plagued by shadows of a past life.”

You swallow down your nerves, trying not to focus on how your voice shakes. “In that past life, were we…were we…lovers?”

Her fists clench on her lap. She takes a shaky inhale and nods.

“Oh…” Is all you can say. You knew – know? But to heart it out loud is…

“You look just like you did all those years ago,” Ganyu murmurs sadly. “I’ve never forgotten your face.”

A heavy, hot weight settles in your chest. “How long has it been?”

“Thousands of years…since before the Arcon war,” Ganyu rubs her eyes with her palm. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

You wait until she composes herself before you speak again. “I remember in the past, you asked me to share a future with you.”

Ganyu turns to face you, and desire flares up inside your chest. Dark and powerful, urging you to pull her close and into your arms.

“I did.” She says.

“I’m not…the same person from the past. I don’t know who or how I was, and I don’t know if I’ll ever return to remembering anything. But…”

Cool fingers rest on your lap, you shudder at the touch. Ganyu smiles gently, and there’s a feeling of deja-vu when she says. “But…?”

“But if you’ll have me, I would like – I’d really like to – to try. With you.”

Ganyu scoots to the side, until your thighs are touching, and hums softly. “I think I’d like that, too.”

You let out a shaky, relieved breath and squeeze her fingers tightly. She smells sweet and floral, the scent overwhelming your body, making your head drift and spin. You’ve never smelled anything more right.

“I hope this isn’t rude, but you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

She flushes deeply, smile spreading across her face. “You told me that before, thousands of years ago, when you first met me.”

You smile back, tucking a piece of stray hair from her face. “Well, it’s true.”

---

As much as two immortals (???) might have just rushed back into dating, neither of you wanted that.

You two talked. A lot. About your current lives and past. You talked about Wangshu, about your occupation, about Xiao. (“Don’t mind him,” Ganyu had said. “Xiao’s always a bit cold, even to the other Adepti.”) Ganyu talked about the harbor, about your past lives in Guili.

You might not ever get your memories fully back. But even if you don’t, you feel surprisingly calm and accepting of it.

At the end of the day, after both of your throats were hoarse from conversation and your eyes wet from emotion, you both decided to part ways.

She returns to Liyue Harbor. You return to the Wangshu Inn.

Temporarily, you promised, until you figured yourself out. Liyue Harbor is daunting, the populated streets reminding you too much of Guili, of memories you can’t remember, that make your head ache terribly.

You stay at Wangshu. In the mornings, you mop floors, dust paintings, and help fix the elevator. At evenings, you go to the top floor and eat plates of Almond Tofu with Xiao, staring longingly towards the Harbor.

And at night, when you go to bed, you don’t dream of the past, but of your future.

---

One day, when you return to an empty room, and your heart aches with loneliness and the desire to see her becomes too painful to bear, you decide it’s time to go.

---

Liyue is calm, today.

The clouds drift by idly, whisps of white against blue as birds soar on the random wind currents. The sun shines high in the sky, slowly making its way across the map.

“Stop moving,” you grumble, locking your arms tightly around her, burying your face into her chest.

Ganyu chuckles, carding her hands through your hair. “I’m sorry, did I disturb you?”

“Yes…I was having a good nap.” Which is true. Ever since your reunion, you’ve been sleeping more soundly than you ever have in years. Perhaps it’s because you don’t dream of the old anymore, don’t float through your memories like a puppet being pulled on a string.

“You’ve had enough time to rest, I think,” she says tartly. “Thousands of years’ worth.”

You lift your head and pout. “You’re so cruel,” But your words don’t hold any bite.

Ganyu smiles mischievously. Her hand trails down your spine, drawing a shiver from you. “Do you think it’s unfair? To not indulge me after I’ve waited for you all this time?”

You drag yourself up to be eye level with her. Your hand cups the back of her head, trailing up to the base of her horns. A gasp escapes her lips and her eyes flutter when you tenderly pet them.

“If you wanted my attention,” you whisper, lips an inch from hers. “You could have just asked.”

Ganyu pulls you down by the neck, sighs and gasps being lost to the wind.

---

Much later, when the two of you were sweating and grass was stuck in both of your hair, you lay together, dozing under the night sky. Ganyu lays curled to your side, feet tucked underneath her, a content purr vibrating from her throat. You wonder if all Qilin do that.

As you pet her hair, fingers rubbing curiously over her empty ring finger, a deep feeling of content seeps into your bones.

You’re home, at last.

You kiss her forehead, joining her into a peaceful dream.