The Backyard Garden Evolves

6/23/13 

backyard garden November 2012

     




     This is a photo of the backyard garden taken when we bought the house at the end of November.  There was nothing in the garden but two rose bushes. 

April 2013

 
     I threw some daffodils into the garden in December so there would be some color in the spring.

June 2013

                                      This is a photo of the garden today.

hostas

               The first plants I bought in the spring for the garden were hostas.

hostas planted

                               Here are what the hostas look like now.

hardy begonias

                   The next plants to go in the garden were hardy begonias.

Japanese anemones

                                      I added some Japanese anemones.

annuals

                 For a quick splash of color, I put in some petunias, new guinea impatiens and alyssum.

boxwoods and nandinas

     Dividing the backyard garden are five boxwood and three nandina bushes which were here when we bought the house.  Some of the boxwoods will be transplanted to other areas of the yard eventually.  Among the bushes I planted a ghost fern, some sweet woodruff and primula.  These were given to me by a gardening friend.




ghost fern

 

sweet woodruff

primula

tulips

     On the other side of the bushes there is a pink dogwood tree under which I planted tulips in the spring.

begonias

      Now a mix of red, white and pink begonias occupies the space where the tulips were.  This garden is still a work in progress.  More plants will be added in the future.

Is It May?

5/13/13

rhododendron

     The temperature finally broke into the 70's for a few days last week, but on Mother's Day it turned cold and windy.  Last night was in the 40's, and the heat came on.  There is a frost/freeze warning for our general area tonight with temps in the 30's. We could set a record low temperature tonight.  We are having mid-March weather in mid-May.  When it it going to stay warm here?

     Despite the cold, there is blooming going on.  The rhododendron in the back corner of the house put out some blossoms this week.  I also noticed bearded iris blooming in the neighborhood.

begonias

     I went to a garden center last week and bought some red and white begonias and put them into one of my railing planters.

New Guinea impatiens

     I also bought some New Guinea impatiens to plant in my large deck planters.  Most garden centers are not carrying the common garden impatiens, which I much prefer, because of impatiens downy mildew that has reached our area. 

hostas

     At a garden club plant sale I picked upsome hostas that will be going in the backyard garden.

daisies, iris, black-eyed Susans

     At that same sale bought some daisies, iris, and black-eyed Susans which will be going into the new garden in the side yard that I am in the process of designing.

chrysanthemum

     I saved a chrysanthemum my neighbor gave me when we were in the rental house last year.  I kept watering it, and left it outside on a deck table until frost.  I cut it back and put it in the garage all winter.  In mid-April brought it out of the garage and started watering it. It did get rained on now and then, thank goodness, because half the time I forgot about it.  It is still sitting outside the garage, and when I looked at it yesterday, it had tiny green leaves!  I'm so glad it's still alive.

Mother's Day flowers

Mother's Day flowers

     The last two photos are of the flowers I was thrilled to receive from both of my sons on Mother's Day.