Morning Light

Red Valerian. The blooming stalks have grown a lot in the past week. I really like this plant. I hope it spreads into chaos.



It has a home with other pink and red blooms. I didn't plan it that way. I like the outcome. The transition into summer should be interesting in this bed. Self-sown datura seedlings are up. Great Blue Lobelia has been planted in hunks. Perilla is present. White Four O'clocks have reseeded heavily. Echinacea and Black and Blue salvia will turn this bed into a cool oasis from the hotter reds and yellows near the street.



At the other end of that space, the foxgloves are beginning to bloom. They are shaded until about 6pm when the hot afternoon sun hits them.



These are a creamy yellow. I was hoping the purple one survived the move late in the winter. I think it was too wet.



Yvonne's salvia seedlings, I hope. If not, they are S. subrotunda. I'm okay with that. It's a nice plant. The goldfinches love the seeds. The hummingbirds love the nectar.



A stray larkspur seed has grown into a 2' tall specimen. I avoid it every time I mow.



This poppy found a home in between the stones I use for edging.



Pulling back a bit, the garden glows in the early morning light. It's my favorite time of day to take photos.



I did find time yesterday to mow the paths and the front lawn. It's 45 degrees. The high today will be 84.

Foliage.

Butterfly bush in the shrub island.



A white spirea. This plant has been moved three times. It now resides in the shrub island.



Dame's rocket. A couple clumps are starting to push out stalks just a few feet away.



A mum, larkspur, and others at the arbor spanning the entrance to the perennial bed.



Golden Jubilee.



Yucca. I dug this one from my parents' property in SC. They grow wild in the woods here. I might regret that some day.



Something new that popped up next to the driveway. Any thoughts?



The new foliage of Ligustrum Howardii is tinged with gold.



More ditch lilies.



May Night Salvia. A clearance purchase last summer.



Elymus arenarius 'Blue Dune' grass. These are on the slope where I have knockouts and lavender.



Poppies, I think.



It's 48 degrees and cloudy. Today will be cooler reaching about 60 degrees. Tomorrow, the heat wave starts rolling in.



Majesty Palms and Peace lilies have arrived at the store just in time for Palm Sunday and Easter. The fragrant white lilies will be arriving in another week. Boston ferns are on the racks. Petunias will be available shortly. It's strange. We went from extreme cold to the middle of spring in just a couple of weeks. I'm not sure any of us were prepared for this. Obviously, the shoppers are happy about it, spending gobs of money just to be outside for a few hours. It's not a bad time to be paid to work outdoors.

A Quick Makeover

Ok, so I'll admit, I'm an impulse gardener. I buy plants because they're on clearance. I plant them with the understanding that it's only temporary. So goes the front bed under the living room window. This is also the most important bed in my mind because it's right beside the walkway to the front door. It should be a little more formal than the perennial garden. I also need things that do well in shade. For a few hours each morning, it gets spotty sunlight. Direct sun comes around 10 am and again around 3pm for just an hour or two. All told, I'd say 4 hours of sun is the average with some dirt receiving more, some much less.

A few weeks ago, I moved three knockout roses into the upper portion of this bed. I hated it. I filled in with purple salvias. I hated it more. The Green & Gold Euonymous was looking ratty. The roses weren't settling in well and had not bloomed again. Sure, they were in shock, but so was I. The plan had not come together the way I wanted it too.

When the lantana arrived at the store, I bought three kinds. The yellow, red/orange, and purple were planted on the slope with Provence lavender, a few variegated grasses, and several other really weedy looking plants. As of yesterday, I was still disgusted with the way it was filling in. I can't have this growing next to my front walkway. Dangerous as it may be with crumbling brick, I don't need people recoiling in horror at the sight of my mishmash. Here's the picture from yesterday.



Having been off on Sunday, someone at the store took it upon himself to pull a shelf of Forever and Ever hydrangeas that were not 100%. I took it upon myself last night to purchase two. At $5 each, who could resist, right? This morning, I moved a lot of things. Normally, I wouldn't do this with temperatures threatening 90 degrees. But the forecast for the next 4 days calls for heavy afternoon thunderstorms. If it doesn't rain, I'll water everything twice a day for a week until they regain their composure. What lives, lives. If it dies, another impulse will come along shortly.

The roses were moved onto the lower slope where they can get at least 4 hours of sun. The Euonymous went out into the azalea bed where they can die peacefully for all I care. The salvias were scattered in among the roses on the slope. The lavender was moved around to spread it out a bit. On the upper part of the bed, I planted the red hydrangeas where the Green&Golds were. I did leave the double yellow datura. It's about to bloom and I want to see if it's worth keeping before shoveling it.

The upper bed. I still need something to fill in the blank spots. I'd like a groundcover and some perennials, but I'm going to have to see what I can find on clearance.


Datura.


Persian Shield was planted in the front bed. I love the foliage. It doesn't love me.


Did I mention I planted a tea olive at the corner of the house. I didn't think so.


I still need some height. Hopefully the climbing hydrangea planted a few weeks ago will help soften this corner in a couple years. I plan to build a trellis soon for the chimney to replace my temporary wire trellis.


From the other direction.


So, impulses fulfilled for the day, I must admit I stole some ideas from other gardeners whose blogs I read. Cameron has Spanish lavender growing with her knockouts. I've had better luck with Provence (French), so I planted that instead. Nell has Persian Shield growing with Purple Queen. Along the top of the rocks I use to hold back the soil from the slope, I stuck some fresh plucked plugs. Last summer it rooted easily and should fill in quickly. I planted extra hoping it will spill over the top of the wall. The Pinks Maiden dianthus disappointed me in that space, but I left it anyway. Maybe it'll survive the winter.

Now I have to shower and get ready for work. Cycle counts begin today for every living thing in the store. If it's got roots, I have to count it. It's going to be a long 8 hours.

The lantana that came out? I planted it around the yard in various places, but mostly in the daylily border along the bottom of the wall. I also put the coreopsis Early Sunrise and Moonbeam in this border. I spread them out along the entire length with some in both sections. The purple went into the perennial bed where the Lemon Mint Bee Balm was. Some of it was uprooted on Thursday during a wind storm. What's left was sheared back and is putting out new growth.