Tag: wisteria

The Garden Was Party Perfect

My goal this spring was was to get the garden in shape for my twin boys high school graduation festivities. While the weather barely cooperated, the gardens were helped by the cool spring and looked beautiful, green and lush.  Some of the spring shrubs were still blooming and overlapping with some of the early summer blooming vines and perennials.  What didn’t have color, I filled in with annuals from a local nursery.  Even the vegetable gardens seemed on their best behavior.  I think I am going to be spending a lot of time relaxing in the backyard this summer enjoying all this early spring work.

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On personal note– this has been such a hectic year and I haven’t been blogging as much as I had hoped.  Now that my twins have finished their senior year and all that comes with it, I hope to be writing on a more regular basis.  Wondering where they’re going?  Here’s a hint…

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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”.

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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.

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 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.  

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Tomorrow… Continuing around to the front yard…