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!

They made it!

 I revamped this small flowerbed next to the porch last summer, pulling out dead bushes and improving the soil, before adding some new plantings in: hydrangea, astilbe, a couple of hostas, and some heucheras.

I also put in one dicentra--bleeding heart.

I tried planting dicentras in my back shade bed a few years ago, but they didn't survive.

This poor thing was transplanted from a friend's yard to begin with, then moved AGAIN when I realized that it was too far out and would be walked on. I didn't get my hopes up.

 

By the end of last summer, I wasn't sure which of my new plantings had survived.

The astilbes had withered away to practically nothing, as had the dicentra, and the ferns.

I knew heucheras and hostas were as tough as nails and could take dry shade, so I wasn't too worried about them.

 

This spring I have been pleasantly surprised to see all of the plants in this bed coming back!

 

Well, well, well. What have we here?

Hooray!

This euonymous wasn't in danger of dying off, but I'm delighted to see how much new growth it is putting on this spring! It looks better than it ever has.

Astilbe! Yes!

Astilbe number 2 (in back), plus 'Lime Marmalade' heuchera.

Oh and a few dandelions. (ahem). I guess they made it too.

 

The 'Ruby Slippers' oakleaf hydrangea is also putting out new leaves.

 

May they all live long and prosper!

(Except the dandelions.)

The Flower Tour

 Starting right off by the front steps: suprise! dianthus

 Lavender growing big and bushy

 A few roses, plus wild clover [plus weeds]

 A huge patch of clover, down in front by the driveway and brush pile.

 Back flowerbed.

I just can't get over how bright and sunny these little bloomers are.

I will definitely start some again next year.

Back slope update:  

 I've started watering the apple tree since we got home from vacation, and these little violas have perked up and started blooming again, although you can see from all the brown foliage they were about done for.

 I think this was another type of dianthus that I purchased at the WSU horticultural sale.

I planted these on the slope, in front of the salvias.

 One cosmo plant hanging on.

 These poor hydrangeas did not get watered while we were gone.

But they may revive yet--see the new growth at the tips?

I still need to remove dead leaves from this one, as you can see.

 The other hydrangea. Stems look healthy, if it can put out enough new leaves it may survive.

Speaking of survival....

This oakleaf hydrangea isn't going to make it after all.

None of the new leaves ever opened up fully.

I'm leaving it in right now as a weed deterrent until end of next month, when I will replace it with something else. Darn! I was hoping this would do well here.

Chores & Spring Blooms

 I still have no idea what this bushy plant is! It has really taken off since we took out the tree that was right next to it.  I'm considering taking a sample to the nursery to see if they know.

I mostly want to know if it's going to bloom, or just stay bushy and green.  If it's the latter, that's okay, I will probably just cut it back some so it doesn't completely take over. I should have tons of flower bed space, once our front and side landscaping projects are done, so I'm sure I could start a few little patches of it here and there. I just really want to know what it is!

 Looks like the traumatic transplant last fall didn't kill off this hydrangea after all. Phew!

The new growth is white, interestingly enough. I also really like how the bark kind of peels off along the main stem.  I'm excited to see if it will grow to fill this space, with some sunlight and rain every now and then.  I guess I should have known it was pretty tough, as it was surviving under the eave next to the driveway before. It probably only got occasional sunlight, and only as much water as was poured on it.

 Other than planting the blueberries, my main chore last week was getting this raspberry cane replanted.

It had to be taken out because it was right in the way of the gate/ramp for tractors.  Of course, it was the healthiest, tallest one that needed replanting. 

I kept trying to figure out where to start a new patch of raspberries with it, but in the end, I realized that it would be best to just put it with the others.  The only problem was that there wasn't any room in the flowerbed. Then I realized that the flowerbed itself basically cut through the middle of all the canes anyway, and really needed extending.

 So that's what I did. I pulled out the brick edging, dug up (most) of the grass in between, and extended the flowerbed into more of a rounded shape, cutting it off straight right at the gate. Viola! Room for rasberries and room for tractors. Perfect!

Maybe this week I'll have time to get out there and dig up the rest of that grass.

 

 These pretty tulips have brightened my day every time I've seen them!

Back flowerbed, next to raspberries.

 I'm not sure what this little white flower is, but it has been popping up all over the slope. I love it! I especially like how it has filled in some of the bare space between the violas and the apple tree.

These tulips will probably be orange and red. The ones right next to them are; the picture I took of those was just too blurry to keep. These are on the east side, in front of the fence, under the basement windows.

In other words, I never see them unless I specifically go looking for them! Pretty though, for that one brief moment!