New Flowerbed (the last?)

 

Just when we thought all wall building was done forever, there remained one more wall to build. Fortunately, this one was short, and (comparatively) easy to finish.

And now I have a little flowerbed along the side of the shed.

Hooray for more flowers!

 

Overview

It was quite late in the season, but due to a delayed onset of frosty nights, I was able to get these plants in with time to spare. Also, there were some great sales going on at the nurseries. Dangerous territory, that. 

 

So, starting on the left side, this floppy wonder is half of my beautiful orange geum 'Totally Tangerine' from the other flowerbed. It was crowding its neighbors over there, anyway, and was due for a chopping. (I also moved it down some while I had it out of the ground.)

 

Remember this loveliness?

(picture from May of this year.)

Oh yes, this is the treat I will be in for on both sides of my yard, now.

 

Moving down:

We've got Gaillardia 'Commotion Moxie' on the left, Rudbeckia 'Chocolate Orange' in the middle, and a couple of purple irises transplanted from the back flowerbed.

This bed will mostly have hot colors, chosen by my daughter. I'm hoping the purple iris doesn't clash.

(Though if it does, it will be easy to move elsewhere.)

 

The star of the show: Little Lime Hydrangea

The dwarf form of 'Limelight,' this one should get to be 3-5' tall and wide.

Perfect for this narrow bed.

 

I have discovered that I really crave symmetrical plantings. This time I just went with it, so that's why I only took pictures of the first half of the flowerbed. The next half is exactly the same.

I also put some bulbs in here and there that were dug up in my renovations of the back flowerbed.

So I really have no idea what they are. I mean, they are likely either tulips or daffodils, I know that much, but as to form and color? I guess I'll be surprised come spring.

Could be interesting.

Once we turned the corner, the plan was to extend the raspberry patch, so that's what I did.

Awkward angle here, sorry about that.

 

The one and only 'Fall Gold' raspberry plant that I could find.

The rest I put in are black raspberries.

A little variety should be good, I hope.

 

 

The trellis' were all on sale, so we got 3 and actually use wire to make some sturdy raspberry supports, that should be a lot longer-lasting and more effective than the string variety we had up before.  Yay raspberries!

 

Now I think we are really done creating flowerbeds.

At least for this year!

Fall Colors out Front

My front flowerbeds are filled with delightful colors, even once the flowers have gone.

 

The front porch bed.

Oakleaf hydrangea, I knew I could count on you for some gorgeous fall leaves!

Snowball bush, with peony and Echinacea seedheads in the background.

Love it!

Boxwood, rose, and other foliage

Barberry

The guillardia are hanging on, and those lovely red tones blend in just fine.

Catmint seedheads, with purple ninebark in the background.

 

 

Plus a bonus: strawberry foliage up in the garden

 

If our winter is as mild as the weatherman claims it will be, we will be enjoying these colors for a few more months!

Front Flowerbeds: Pockets of Pretty

 

With the unusually hot June and July we've had, the front flowerbeds have started dying off in some places. It's easy to tell which flowers are the more self-sufficient types!

I have tried to get out and water once or twice a week, but for some that hasn't been nearly enough.

So I have little pockets of pretty here and there.

Hey, I'll take it!

 

Mums started blooming early, and the coneflowers certainly don't mind the heat.

My potentilla is as tough as nails--don't let those diminutive dainty flowers fool you!

The purple bellflower, which hasn't done much for the last 2 years, finally perked up and started filling in its spot.

We've got a glimpse of phlox, a little bit of salvia, and those coneflowers in the background.

See, from this angle it's lovely! 

I'm not sure what's going on right here FRONT AND CENTER, but the dead corkscrew rush and dying peony are not what I want to see in the spotlight!

 

This is a strange angle, in an attempt to get a picture of my William Shakespeare rose blooming again.

This pocket is more interesting than pretty, with the coneflower heads and dried drumstick alliums.

This salvia, which I'm fairly certain is the 'Rose Queen' variety, is kind of a thug. However, it's so pretty and long-lasting, that for now I'm letting it do its thing.

The seedlings are easy to pull out come spring. 

Lamb's ears with dead columbine.

Just keeping it real.

Oooh, look!

We found another little pocket of pretty!

Burgundy guillardia in the front with a few more coneflowers in the back.

Heat? What heat?

[Water? What water?... wait--that's my cue!]

Despite the catmint blooms being mostly seedheads by now, the bees are still determinedly going about their business. Next year I will probably cut it back much sooner.

Ah yes. The 'Quickfire' Hydrangea.

A little loveliness all by itself.

 

March Flowerbeds: Front

 The overview:

(right panning left)

 

 

Top bed:

The elderberry and snowball bush both have leaf buds that are just barely breaking out.

 Got all the vetch weeded out of this bed yesterday.

 

Middle Bed:

 

 

Tulips about 3 inches high.

Front right: Shasta daisies

I need to decide quickly if I'm going to divide them or not this year.

 

I haven't gotten to this end of the bed for spring cleanup yet.

I may be transplanting the guillardia that got so long and floppy last summer.

 

Bottom Bed:

A few patches of crocuses blooming.

Daffodils just barely starting to poke up behind the English laurel.

A bit of new growth on the irises, and the boxwood starting to turn green again.

Frost Bouquet

These are actually from a few weeks ago.

Little did we know, as we snipped a few blooms, that it would frost that night!

Makes me wish we had cut a few more.

 

Linking up to the Garden Appreciation Society.

 

So, official first frost date this year: Oct 4

 

'Burgundy Iceberg' rose, burgundy guillardia, coleus, salvia.

 

There are a few hardy souls out there who have survived multiple frosts now. I should probably cut a few of them to bring in and enjoy, before winter hits.

 

September Bloom Day

Welcome friends!

If you're new here, I garden in Eastern Washington, zone 5.

 

This month has been mostly hot and dry, with a week of cooler rainy temperatures thrown in just to keep things interesting.

Right now as I type there's a loud thunderstorm going on outside with lots of pouring rain.

Yes! That means I'm off the hook for watering tomorrow!

 

Most of my blooms are coming to the end, except for this one corner of my front flowerbeds. I'm not sure how it's different than the rest, but the plants in this corner are really thriving, even with all the heat we've had. Perhaps they get a touch more shade?

 

Guillardia, Stella d'Oro daylily, 'Burgundy Iceberg' rose.

 

Guillardia 'Burgundy'

 

I have to laugh at this guillardia.

So this is the guillardia version of "burgundy," huh?

 

It's ironic, because I was debating earlier this summer if I should add that deep red-orange tone to the flowerbed when I had one (just one!) transplanted Asiatic lily bloom in the same shade.

 

It's doesn't clash like I thought it would with the true purples, deep pinks, and other shades going on, so it's going to stay. I guess it was meant to be!

 

For the record:

In back, my 'Yellow Topaz' rose has produced another flush of flowers.

The portulaca continues to bloom with little to no water, right along the house.

The sedum are close to blooming, but the blossoms haven't opened up yet.

I've pulled out most of the petunias from my flowerpots, as they were looking rangy.

 

Check out the other blossoms at May Dreams Gardens.

Happy Bloom Day!

 

Front Flowerbed Tour

I'll start by the front steps, then go on around.

Which means most of the new stuff will be at the end.

 

My Dutch iris blooming behind the salvia.

Not pictured: the daylily transplant (just to the left of this shot) which is now blooming in a deep red-orange.

Dilemma! Everything else in this bed has burgundy/purple hues.

The lily actually looks really pretty against the purple salvia right where it is, but it definitely doesn't fit in with the rest of the color scheme.

I guess that leaves me 2 options: move it to the back, or plant some more of that same color throughout to make it look intentional. I still don't know which option I'm going to take.

 

 New addition: corkscrew rush

Juncus effusis 'Spiralis'

Planted 2 of these, one on each end of the peony grouping.

I really love their "bad hair day" look, and that they'll stay green all summer.

Doesn't hurt that they are quite different from the usual leaf shapes either.

 

* * * * * * * * *

 

Moving into the newly planted part, now.

Most of what I planted here are repeats of others in the flowerbed already, to provide some continuity. Also, I bought mostly small, 4" plants this time to save money, so everything looks very far apart. But they will grow to fill in the spaces.

 

Since these pictures were taken, I have mulched the bed.

 

The columbine on the left is new.

I actually bought it for the shade bed, then read on the tag that it needed full to part sun. What? I didn't know there were some cultivars that liked sun.

Hence, it's new home.

 

Also,there is a new Echinacea 'Magnus' in back, next to the wall.

 

Going around the corner:

clockwise from back left:

transplanted daisy

Salvia 'May Night'

lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina)

Gaillardia 'Burgundy'

 



Burgundy Iceberg Rose (floribunda)

This has put out a couple of blooms since planted, and they are a deep violet purple with white edges. Very pretty. 

 

Knautia macedonica

Little pincushion flowers on slender stalks.

It's in front of the Iceberg rose.

'Stella D'Oro' Daylily

Echinacea 'Magnus' in the background

 

Clockwise from bush in upper left corner:

Sem False Spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem'):

pinkish red, fernlike foliage in spring, creamy white flowers in summer,

3-4' tall & wide

This one is not supposed to be invasive like its parent. It is vigorous, though. I have already noticed new shoots coming up a few inches away.

 

Asiatic Lily 'Tiny' series (deep burgundy) x 2, + 1 pink

I can't seem to stick with all one color, though the pink may get moved to the back flowerbed if it looks too odd there.

 

Another Gaillardia 'Burgundy' (front), supposed to grow about 2 feet tall and wide.

 

Salvia 'May Night'

 

 * * * * * * *

I'm hoping these grow quickly and start filling in by next summer.

I left some space along the wall and interspersed to add spring bulbs, as well.

 

Now we need to prepare the rest of the soil on this terrace for planting fruit trees this fall.

 

Sumac & guillardia

Mountain ash--flowers?

Not sure if they are considered flowers, but they're pretty cool looking.

And pretty, too.

[10/2012: just discovered this is actually a staghorn sumac. The red parts are seeds]

 

Guillardia on east side. July 23

Guillardia again, not quite a week later. July 27

Aren't these green fuzzballs great?

I didn't realize that's what the blossoms became after they faded.

I need to find a better place for these where they can be properly appreciated.