New Surprise Work In Progress! (New Photos Pg 2)

[PunkinPeep]

What a wonderful opportunity!

 

[digitS']

Vfem, I thought that the surprise might be similar to the little package in the second photo. Looks like she's a "Work in Progress" to be proud of. I see she's got her own trowel and garden bucket.

Life in the garden is life at, let's say, 2nd best and something to be excited about! After you line up some spring flowers, think about spring plantings, too. Could be a "Work in Progress" if'n you go with a little room for annuals - but that might just be me .

DW has been lobbying for some crocosmia, or what this old fella used to call montbretia. I hate to discourage this interest on DW's part because I like the flower and the colors that it comes in. But . . . . it has a limited color range and one should really think about the overall color scheme before buying some of those very colorful and very pretty hardy perennials.

Just a thought that I'm pondering at the moment . . . . Congratulation on your opportunity to do some scheming and beautification. And, congratulations on a family willing to help !

Steve

 

[Lavender2]

Vfem... Congrats!
(I SO want to get out my tiller right now!!)
'They' say that your gardens reflect who you are. Go for it!

I might take the easy way out and take advantage of your acidic soil.
(Depending on the sun/shade level there) ... Oh, I can see a couple of low bush blueberries (gorgeous in Fall!) ... or a larger shrub down at the end, maybe an azalea or hydrangea, or a viburnum! (for the butterflies and birds).
Then, an informal mix of acid loving/tolerant perennials and annuals. (I have to have continuous color, and I use a 'plunk it and run' technique..)
I see coneflowers, rudbeckia, turtlehead, foxglove... maybe a columbine and some iris for Spring... and I love astilbe! If it fits, maybe a sedum or some asters for a splash of Fall color...

Most annuals are pretty adaptable when it comes to soil pH... esp. so for calendula, cosmos, dusty miller, lantana, lobelia...

OK, now would be the point where I might have to get the tiller out again...
.... oh,that was fun.... can't wait to hear your plans!!....

 

[vfem]

Great ideas, Lav! I am working on adding to the tiny strip that was there. I think the azalea and the hydrengea will be very happy to see add to them. As you can see, up against the house is gets very wet as we don't have gutters.... but I planted for wet conditions right there, and those plants are THRIVING so far.

Now, Heidi sent me some columbine, and I have been collecting my coneflower seeds, foxglove and blanket flower. I think those will make their way over there. I also have some penstemon red rocks on the side of the house that have gotten HUGE. I think I'm going to split them in the spring and move them up front to get some nice filler. The attract a ton of bees, but also seem to be a favorite of hummingbirds in my yard.

This is the perfect time of year to expand everything! We did all our raised bed building, and dirt movement last fall and winter. It made for a very easy and low weeding spring and summer.

Its going to rain for the next few days starting this afternoon... so I'm going to go out and finish some touch up work on the bed, lay some mulch and finish putting in those bulbs if I can get this all done before 11 would be great.

Here are the tulips I am planting this year:

All this and I am STILL sick from before Halloween! I just can't take being down and out. I did some cleaning the last few days, got some rest yesterday (I was relaxing and quilting most the day) and now I'm back... I need to be outside or I will lose my mind!!!

 

[vfem]

Here's what we managed this morning! Put in what I had left of the plastic black boarder / edging. I turned more compost into the soil as well. We mulched around the azealas are on the side of the house and around the honeysuckle transplant at the end of the porch.

You can do see it really came back in the picture of it flowering again.

I couldn't help myself but order an iris I want to plant here... just one... but its a start!

 

[injunjoe]

That bed is coming along nice!

I can't wait for it to be in full bloom, you have great taste in flowers!



Joe

 

[digitS']

Hey Vfem, we don't know about exposure!

Which way does your house face?

I see the honeysuckle and its trellis, which side are they on - south, east . . . ?

Steve

 

[journey11]

penstemon red rocks...I had never heard of/seen those before. They are nice!

 

[vfem]

Hey Steve... they are on the northwest side of the porch actually.

 

[Lavender2]

Sooo... that would mean your house faces NE? ... or my compass has malfunctioned... again...

Rephrasing the question a bit ... does it get sun at least half of the day?

Beautiful Penstamon! ... and I love creeping jenny! ... funny how I want to strangle creeping charlie but Jenny can creep to her hearts content... :happy_flower