It has been hot the past several days with temperatures in the low 90's, so I've been trying to take advantage of the mornings and the early evenings to work outdoors. It's simply too crazy to be out there in the heat of the day as all I ever seem to get accomplish is wiping the sweat from my brow. It was about 80-85 degrees here in the side yard when Don and I worked on weeding and removed a bit more sod in one area to widen it. We finished up planting up all but one of the remaining plants left to stick in the ground. This bed is approx. 36' long x 1 1/2' - 2' wide, so weeding it can quickly get away from you, if you don't watch it.
At the far left corner, I've planed my strawberry pot on top of a block to add some visual interest and height, there's a pot of greenery and an asparagus fern at the base. A limelight coleus, one of two in this bed, accents the copper dragonfly candlestand that we've had forever. We purchased it from one of the shoppes up on a trip to Put-In-Bay. Neighboring the coleus, is an drawf evergreen, Taxus {something or other, mentioned in some of my previous posts.}
Another butterfly bush... this one a lot smaller than the Silver Frost that is in the back yard's header bed. If I'm remembering correctly, this one will bloom pink. It was a small pot when I purchased and planted it and has grown nicely here in this end of the part sun/ part shade bed. {Well, that was the idea when I purchased it...} The healthy, little bush-y type shrub is a new addition. Purchased on a trip to Wilson's Garden Center in Newark, Ohio.
Below, is a close-up view... it won't bloom until next Spring, but it was one plant on my "I want wanna those!" list... a Bleeding Heart plant. I think they are just beautiful and I think the red/pink will compliment all the green and the texture of the bed nicely. Not show in this photo is an astible that I am in the process of trying to rescue! The poor thing got way too much heat and hot sun, so I've been providing it with nice, cool sips of water a bit more frequently than the others. To compound the problem, I've probably thrown in into transplant shock, Yep! I dug a hole and gave it a new permanent home. Hopefully, it will survive and learn to love it here.
A few unexpected potted plants... an asparagus fern and our rosemary, both will require over-wintering indoors, but I love the texture and the scent they add here.
The periwinkle {vincas} still blooming here as well, although, you'll note this little patch didn't do nearly as good as the periwinkle in the backyard's header bed, which receives full sun vs. partial sun which is what this periwinkle receives here. I also that the vegetation of the plant seems so much more vibrant and a richer green.
Newly added today, was the daisies and the aslyssum from a pot. It was either transplant it in the shade soon or toss it... so I stuck in here. This limelight coleus has amazed from day one of planting it. It took right to the spot and has shone ever since. I love the little boy and puppy figurine, I believe was a yard sale find. Heading on south down the side bed, is the new trellis I recently purchased to help hold the verbena bush up off of the ground. It seems to be taking the trellis relly well and has made a big improvement in the general appearance of the side yard bed. I like it!
This is a section of the side bed that the hubby and I worked on widening just a bit today. It's a subtle change but I think it made a big impact in the way the bed related to the natural surroundings. It seems to be a bit more inviting now, although, this is the best picture to probably show you that. We also need to work on some of the borders for our beds and have been browsing at our options. I'm keep leaning more and more towards the concrete borders for durability once they are sealed and as long as there's adequate drainage below them.
But time will tell.... The plants in this bed have plenty of room to grow and fill in, in a sense, it almost appears a little sparce, but it's a major improvement over the before when there was nothing but grass and more weeds! Speaking of grass and weeds, I worked on this section of the side yard and a good half of the front yard using a metal rake to remove some of the grasses thatch. There were areas that it was so thick, no wonder we've got weeds everywhere. I've added picking up a bag of grass seed to the "Gardening To Do" list.... right up there with purchasing the mulch for this bed and the front yard's plantings. Anyways, see? There's plenty of room between these plantings, they aren't as "squished" in as the photo above makes them appear to be.
Moving further south in the bed, we have the new ground cover, which is establishing itself nicely and already sending out new shoots, Thank you! Here are a few scattered in among what I'm hoping will be a clump of lilyturf. It's growing... slowly. The ruby-colored coleus also took off in this August heat and I think it has been blooming since mid-July....
more of the new ground cover surrounds it and the additional plantings up a bit further in the bed.
Eventually, I want this end of the bed to have some curves to it... well, it does now, an outward curve up along the outside fence. But I could only come out so far with these plantings for now until we purchase the new sections of fencing and the garden gate for this area.
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