We began yesterday by purchasing a load of dirt. (!)
Part of the day was spent across the road in a little flower bed at a neighbor-friend's house.
FLASHBACK: This is what happened May 31, 2010
I began with a few little Joe Pye Weed seedlings begun over the Winter.
Because I was preparing for the June Garden Tour, I only dug small beds in a short row.
Here we see the planted Joe Pye Weed and Blackberry lily seedlings begun during the Winter.
I managed to get a little strip dug in which we also planted a small miniature rose,
a few iris, Tennessee Coneflower seedlings, Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' and a few other items.
a few iris, Tennessee Coneflower seedlings, Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' and a few other items.
Yesterday (August 9) was the big gardening day!! I joined the strips made earlier and
enlarged the beds. Do you know you can shallowly dig small areas of grass, roll them up, dig out a deeper hole, replace the grass (upside down) in the hole, and cover with the dirt (add a bit of additional soil)?
The grass will die, disintegrate, and enrich the soil.
Here we go...
All dug and waiting for new plants!
(Notice the little Joe Pye Weed in the foreground - it didn't grow tall this year, but it bloomed!)
New Plants! Ta-dah!
Plant list:
Joe Pye Weed
Butterfly Milkweed
Miniature rose
Iris
Blackberry Lily'Stella d'Oro' Daylily
Miscanthus sinensis, 'Gold Bar'
Gaillardia Daisy 'Firefox'
Tennessee Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
Chelone - Turtlehead
Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'
Mulching in Progress!
You might have noticed the 4" deep trench around the edges of the bed. It took nearly two bags of mulch to fill the trenches. We're adding a light coat of mulch to cover the beds today.
Looking good !
ReplyDeleteNice selection of plants.
Never heard of the Blackberry Lily'Stella d'Oro' Daylily...would love to see the flowers.
I bet your neighbor loves it. What a pretty combination of flowers! Isn't it great when a perennial like your Joe Pye weed blooms the same year it was started from seed? That's always the hardest part for me, waiting for a year or two to see flowers.
ReplyDeleteHiya Shady,
ReplyDeleteI am so enjoying getting to know your garden through pictures like these. the views through the trees is lovely.
Hope the new plants will do well and that your blackbirds will leave your fresh mulch alone. (Mine wouldn't :-)
Oh, Patsi! Why did that happen - do you know? (I'll look forward to the blossoms, too!) ha!!
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, Yes. She loves it! Both her sons are now in college. This Spring she came to me and said, "I'm ready to start gardening. I need to nurture something." (And that's all it took for me to spring into action!) :-)
Hi Jo, We really don't see much of blackbirds here. Too many trees?? However, last week I already saw two chickadees and a nuthatch. This morning I saw a hairy woodpecker. These are Winter birds here. And the robins are migrating south! Hmmmm.
You've been a busy gal ... lookin' good, Shady!
ReplyDeleteI love how a little garden grows and grows; before long, it's the entire front yard! Great plant choices! gail
ReplyDeleteShady this garden is going to look so good. Love all you have filled it with. Thanks for the tip on the sod will be trying it in the spring. You also reminded me about Blackberry lily a plant I had in my old garden that hasn't made it here yet... soon.
ReplyDeleteJoey, Thanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteGail, They don't know it yet, though... ;-)
Rosemary, Do you want some seeds? I have "bunches!"
What a fun project Shady! Love your choice of flowers, too! :)
ReplyDeleteNothing grows better, not in my neighbors or the whole isle, since I keep one hundred species with their botanical names.
ReplyDeleteLess than ten were ever bought in nurseries...Everyone else is a present, or exchange..
Nice post...Until then.
I so enjoyed this post. I didn't know that tip about the grass. Another thing to do is to cover the grass with newspaper. The grass and the newspaper will rot down and enrich the soil. Looking forward to seeing the new bed grow and change over time.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAntigonum C, thanks for your visit.
ReplyDeleteHi Catmint, I also use the newspapers, but in this case. I wanted to plant right away and not have to deal with the papers. :-) I appreciate your encouragement!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking in. I bet those plants will be leaping their bounds soon! Yeah!
I love your property, it looks very restful. You have plenty of space for even more gardens, if you get more energy. Ha Ha.
Rosey
Hi Rosey, actually this property belongs to one of my neighbors. And, yes, we're making plans... ;-)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun expanding your gardening at a neighbor's place? I got all excited seeing that bare dirt, and the plants you put in. I look forward to seeing updates.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have similar gardening styles, though our exposures are a little different.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog the other day!