Tag: river birch

A View of the June Garden-Backyard

I took a tour of my yard today to see how everything was looking. Other than a little late, most things were looking quite healthy. It seems I’m often focussed on the “little picture”, so it was nice to just step back and look at the “big picture”.

Starting in the back…

Hostas, sedum, peonies, windflowers, astilbe, heuchera, hydrangea, spurge and a River Birch fill this part shade bed that borders the patio. 

Stephi Gardens

Stephi Gardens

Off the back of the patio is the Purple Ash that looks quite healthy this year after it’s treatment for Emerald Ash Borer last year  (Attack of the Emerald Ash Borer: Part 1 and Part 2).   I recently split and transplanted some hostas,  ferns and sedum underneath it to make it look more like a garden rather than a dirt pile   I also added 3 Purple Beautyberry Bushes in the corner to join some raggedy looking Red Twig Dogwoods.  This also where my 2 new raised vegetable beds are located.   

Stephi Gardens

Finally, my Siberian Irises are blooming.  Only 2 blooms, but better than nothing!

Siberian Iris

The back of the house is planted with Miss Kim lilacs, a Blackhaw viburnum, a Redbud, densi yews, an assortment of creeping sedums, creeping thyme, Russian sage, a few other perennial specimens,  hostas, daylilies and petunias.  

Stephi Gardens

Johnson Blue Geranium

Johnson Blue Geranium

Tangerine Avens–my best guess is that it is Geum “Totally Tangerine”.

IMG_3357

The side yard is undergoing some transition as the house next door is undergoing construction.  What used to be sun/part shade, is now full sun.  Along here are  ferns, hostas, phlox, bee balm, wisteria, knock-out roses, daylilies, weigeila and honeysuckle.  There is also a 15 yr old multi-stemmed Freeman’s Maple just outside the shot, but I’ll leave that for another day.  But here’s a hint, it’s June and it’s casting almost no shadow…

Stephi Gardens

Wisteria is starting to bloom.

IMG_3360

 All around the yard are these Columbines.  They just pop up unexpectedly and provide some pretty spring colors.  They’re a spreading plant that I don’t mind having out of place.  These all came from a gift of one plant soon after we moved in.  

IMG_3363

Tomorrow… Continuing around to the front yard…

Time for the Yarrow to Go

I posted before about the problems I was having with my yarrow and I’ve finally decided it’s time to go.   It’s been a garden invader for years and especially this year, just downright ugly.

IMG_0974

So I pulled it out.

IMG_0366
IMG_0367
This left an ugly gaping hole, but by next spring it’ll have something new in it’s place.  I’m thinking I’ll move the red Bee Balm (variety unknown) that is currently almost in full shade under a River Birch.

IMG_0546

That was one of those mistakes made by a landscaper before I knew to ask questions and look into plant choices myself.  Sure, it was only lightly shaded back when the tree was planted almost 15 years ago.  But now, it’s dappled full shade and much too shady to grow a sun loving plant like Bee Balm.  I get a few meager flowers each year, but mostly it’s leggy, sparse and often gets a powdery mildew.  Time for a new home. There’s plenty of great shade loving plants that can take it’s place.