Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh how beautiful' and sitting in the shade.
- Rudyard Kipling -
Thanks to the amazing Kelli, who also taught me everything I know about couponing (more on that another day), I got a whole hatchback-full of free gorgeous plants from her garden. It was mere hours after I posted pictures of my sad little garden of day lilies that she told us to come on over and we got to see her beautiful gardens. Be still my heart -- there were giant hostas!
I invested $40 into the project for some good soil, cute gardening gloves (those are required, right?), and a little hand pruner. I forgot to mention that all previous pruning in the garden was done using a hand saw I found the garage. Jonathan didn't want me cutting off a finger or three, so he encouraged me to pick up a pruner and I agreed.
So far, in this ridiculous heat and humidity over the past two days, I've made modest progress. I dug up all of the day lilies in the Right garden, divided them, and moved them to the left side of the house. There used to be a sad brick-lined bed under the far back windows and I pulled up all those bricks and just let the day lilies line the house. It's a bit bright in the after picture, but you can see what I mean. If they don't die, they'll grow and fill in the gaps and provide some much-needed color and life. I'm envisioning a fully-developed flower garden with a little stone path to our wood picket fence around our lush green lawn in the backyard. I sure can dream. I also moved the azalea bushes to the front of the chimney bump-out there. You can see those pretty clearly.
I invested $40 into the project for some good soil, cute gardening gloves (those are required, right?), and a little hand pruner. I forgot to mention that all previous pruning in the garden was done using a hand saw I found the garage. Jonathan didn't want me cutting off a finger or three, so he encouraged me to pick up a pruner and I agreed.
So far, in this ridiculous heat and humidity over the past two days, I've made modest progress. I dug up all of the day lilies in the Right garden, divided them, and moved them to the left side of the house. There used to be a sad brick-lined bed under the far back windows and I pulled up all those bricks and just let the day lilies line the house. It's a bit bright in the after picture, but you can see what I mean. If they don't die, they'll grow and fill in the gaps and provide some much-needed color and life. I'm envisioning a fully-developed flower garden with a little stone path to our wood picket fence around our lush green lawn in the backyard. I sure can dream. I also moved the azalea bushes to the front of the chimney bump-out there. You can see those pretty clearly.
Planting the lilies along the side of the house, where only grass (nay, crabgrass) had grown before, was a GIANT PAIN and I was sufficiently whiny about it yesterday. But I'm happy it's done.
Now that the lilies are out of the front garden, here's the lay of the land:
Now that the lilies are out of the front garden, here's the lay of the land:
In the back row we have some green things that are supposed to grow pretty tall - 3-4 feet or so maybe. If they live. Some of them are looking unhappy about their recent eviction from Kelli's gorgeous garden. In front of those are two hostas of different varieties. They should grow to be tall-ish but not taller than what's behind them. Then there is a tallish green plant with firecracker flowers. I don't know what it's called and it looks lonely but I'll let it grow and divide it next year. In front of that we have three clumps of yellow and green striped liriope. And not pictured in the corner is a clump of lamb's ear, which I want to grow and divide so it can line the whole walkway. I love lamb's ear. There are also a few sprigs of ground cover here and there - periwinkle and something else I can't remember. I hope they decide to live and cover the ground.
That's it for now. No progress on the left garden yet but I think all the day lilies from there will go to the back of the house and line the house back there. I've just grown tired of them out front. I have another hunk of hosta to plant, some liriope, black-eyed susans, and other stuff I'm forgetting I'm sure.
Stay tuned.
That's it for now. No progress on the left garden yet but I think all the day lilies from there will go to the back of the house and line the house back there. I've just grown tired of them out front. I have another hunk of hosta to plant, some liriope, black-eyed susans, and other stuff I'm forgetting I'm sure.
Stay tuned.
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