Garden: A Peek at the Back Yard Projects

Well, probably I should wait until it is "finished" to show pictures of the back yard.  But who knows when that will be?  And, besides, I'm a 90%-er, right?  So this is the back yard project 90% complete. The fence, gabion pillar, low gate, and the plantings behind the retaining wall are all new.  I've one more post hole to dig and one more fence panel to install.  I have purchased a few plants for this new area:  a "mutabilis" rose, "Adagio" miscanthus, "Sweet Tea" honeysuckle, and a columnar apple, some blueberries, and a grape (the first of two).  

I decided to build the retaining wall at an angle to the property line.  On one hand, it gives me the opportunity to plant larger shrubs in the far (wider) end.  It also allows someone entering the space to see the face of all the plantings--all the way down the length of the planting bed--for full and lush effect (I hope).  And it curves the gaze around to the left instead of dead-ending into the slope at the back of our property.  That was my theory, anyway.

Backyard view from the side-yard walkway.

I'm pleased with the plantings along the side-yard walkway.  On the right is a monoculture of Japanese Anemone and, on the left, out of the frame of the photo, is a monoculture of native wood sorrel (Oxalis oregana).  I like having a quiet moment in transition from the front yard to the back.

Garden: Today's Photo

Signs of fall are creeping into the garden--Eutrochium (Eupatorium) dubium "Phantom" with the ripening seedheads of Chasmanthium latifolium.

Garden: Another View of the Remodel

"Reverse View" Late summer 2010.

Similar view taken today.  Summer 2013.

Did you see the little, reddening apple?  There are three this year--the first year there's been fruit.

I miss the pennisetum "Karley Rose" that is visible in the background of the first picture.  They were planted in the "Carport Bed" across the entry path from the front garden.  I took them out because they were so late to emerge in spring and also because they became floppy and broke down in wind and rain.  I've tried a variety of other plants, but none have performed as I desire.  "Karl Foerster" feather reed grass is planted there now.   I am not pleased with the vertical silhouette OR the way they have suffered from rust for the past couple of years.  I'd been thinking about expanding the Northern Sea Oats into that space--there are some already in the front of the bed--but, now, I remember another pennisetum option, "Red Head", that I might try. I sure prefer the rounded shape of the pennisetums to the more upright grasses.

Garden Iteration 4.0--A Partial Success

This was my front garden last year. 

Late Summer / Fall 2012 

It had been pretty much the same since its inception. The original plan was to feature dusky colors and purple accent foliage and to skew the plantings towards a prairie aesthetic.  Plants came and went as they fulfilled my expectations, or didn't--some beautiful Pennisetum "Karley Rose" had to yield to the dwarf variety "Hameln", for example, and burgundy phormiums yielded to red-twig dogwoods, which yielded to the purple barberry--but this planting came reasonably close to my vision.   

Garden: This One's for Loree: Botanical Cactus Garden

Loree of Danger Garden doesn't know me, but I have been reading her blog off and on for years.  So, when I spotted this gem of a cactus garden adjoining Ethel M Chocolates in Las Vegas, I thought of her.  Loree, these photos are for you...

Just a quick note...all these photos were taken in the scorching, blinding, blazing light of mid-day with my cell phone.  All things considered, I think my phone handled it pretty well!  Better than I did, anyway.

Some cactus gardens are so sparse--like a plant zoo--but this one looked comparatively lush and pretty.  I liked the intermingling of trees, cacti, and colorful, flowering plants.

Garden: Digitalis parviflora, a Favorite in my Garden

Digitalis parviflora "Milk Chocolate" is new to me, but I've been impressed with its performance so far.  Here it is in late spring, its subtle coloration complementing the rusty asiatic lilies, the aubergine of the cimicifuga, and the (temporarily) brown sticks of "Jolly Bee" hardy geranium.

Late spring.  D. parviflora with "Jolly Bee" geranium, cimicifuga, and H. paniculata "Quickfire".

Later on, with the blooms of both the lilies and the digitalis passed, the denuded green spikes of the digitalis complement the fresh, green/blue/purple, analogous color scheme.   I am beginning to wonder, though, if I would have liked the first picture as much had the geraniums been in full flower.  Hmmm.  I suppose next year will bring an answer to that question.

D. parviflora in mid-summer.

Native to Spain, Digitalis parviflora is a truly perennial foxglove.  It is said to grow in zones 4-9 and grows to about two feet tall.  I have ten plants, acquired at different times throughout this growing season, and all took planting (and occasionally transplanting) in stride.  Several of the plants came from Chocolate Flower Farm.  No potted plants were available at the time of my visit, so the owner just grabbed a shovel and dug them out of her crowded border.  Having seen the vigor of her planting, I am pretty sure that these foxgloves will thrive and multiply in my garden.  

The entrance to Chocolate Flower Farm.  The note posted on the gate explains their rudimentary honor system--take plants, put money under the register drawer.