The scenes in the garden keep changing as the season progresses. This west garden is still one of the most consistently colorful areas, but the backyard is getting better. Rosy-orange 'Royal Sunset' longiflorum-Asiatic lilies, 'Golden Sunrise' tickseed (Coreopsis), and long-blooming 'Walker's Low' catmint (Nepeta) are blooming above.
'Miss Molly' butterfly bushes (Buddleia), Russian sage (Peroskvia), 'Victoria' sage (Salvia), and newly planted 'Double Scoop Raspberry' coneflowers (Echinacea) are blooming now in the main sunny bed. This large area continues to befuddle me, which is frustrating since it's the main focal point of the backyard. I've always got new ideas to try, though. I just planted three lilac-rose 'Ava' hummingbird mints (Agastache) between the Russian sages, and I ordered 'Summer Drummer' globe allium and drumstick allium bulbs for fall planting that should bloom about this time next season. I've requested six more 'Fama Blue' pincushion flowers (Scabiosa) from my local nursery to plant here, I recently transplanted six 'Caradonna' sage and three 'Rozanne' hardy geraniums, and I'm growing eight Euphorbia polychroma plants from seed to add. Something's gotta work, right?
Earlier in the season I planted several annual 'Superbena Royale Plum Wine' verbenas in this area as they are exactly the same shade as the 'Miss Molly' blooms, and they help fill in gaps while I figure out the perennials.
A 'Miss Ruby' buttefly bush presides in the northwest corner bed, with 'Red Fox' speedwell (Veronica) and annual 'Supertunia Black Cherry' petunias adding color down low. I only planted a few annuals this year, and they've all been moved once or twice as I add more perennials. I'm really more of a perennial fan.
This is the view looking west from the bench in the northeast corner. 'Pearl Deep Blue' bellflower (Campanula) are in front with 'Thumbelina Leigh' lavender shrubs at center.
The east side of the house features towering meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum - my husband jokingly tells me to watch my mouth when I say the name) at center and a 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' clematis to the right. A pot of 'Surfina Summer Double Pink' petunias sits bottom center. Surfina petunias have to be deadheaded, which makes them much more work than Supertunias.
And so the summer continues with new ideas to try and plenty of deadheading to keep me busy even when I'm not digging something up to transplant.
Your garden just gets lovelier and lovelier.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful garden!!! I was wondering if most of your garden was in full sun? I have a large garden around the edge of our yard, but a huge tree just blew down this last year, so now we have a lot more sun. I also don't know how to turn our hard into a garden with winding paths?? Any tips you could share?
ReplyDeleteThanks - Diane
Diane, we purposely left the center of the yard in the sun (mostly lawn plus one sunny bed) and have trees lining the edges of the backyard to block out the view of neighbors. Most of the edge beds get sun for part of the day as my trees aren't very large yet, and some are columnar so they don't shade too far out. Paths can be a great way to organize your space. If you want to see the process we took for our yard, go to the top of my blog and click on the 'before and after photos of vw garden' tab. The 'tour of vw garden' tab gives a lot of broad views of the garden. I'd list the purposes you want for your garden (veggie plot, lawn for play, sitting area, etc), plot out spaces for each, then use your paths to connect the areas. Pay attention to views you want to block or enhance. Fill in with plants from big to small (trees first), including some evergreens for a winter skeleton. We brought in a lot of compost and good topsoil while landscaping as well. We paid a landscaper to create our flagstone paths, which are set on gravel. Hope those tips help! Good luck.
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