One of my goals for our new sunny front is to create a cutting garden. I’ve added the usual suspects like Coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susan, but I’m trying to bring in more subtle choices like Black & Blue Salvia, Veronica, and colorful herbs. These ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea actually grow along the back fence in a shady area I don’t see every day, so they’re perfect for bringing indoors.
We planted this Wisteria frutescens at the corner of my neighbor’s porch about 5 years ago. It is such a gorgeous and reliable bloomer. If the idea of Wisteria makes you nervous, just be sure to select the American variety. It doesn’t get nearly as big as the Asian varieties and won’t end up pulling down your structures over time.
I’m so excited that these new yellow rhododendrons are opening up in my garden. They’re supposed to be a “compact” variety, which I hope means I won’t need to prune them back much. I don’t normally plant rhodies or azaleas in small gardens because I don’t really like their form over time, but the pale yellow of these felt like daffodils so I thought I’d give them a try. So far, so good, but if they get big and leggy, they’re moving to the back garden!
Rain, rain, you’re messing up the work site in my front lawn! But we need you, the plants are happy, and it’s a great time to get beautiful photos. This one is from my neighbor’s front yard, which is always pretty as a picture.
I started ordering from Colorblends about 10 years ago, and their bulbs never disappoint. This double daff just turned up in my garden as part of a mix I ordered, and I can’t identify it. Whatever it is, I want more next year!
I was running down the Custis Trail yesterday and saw all this Winter Jasmine hanging along the retaining wall- lovely! Native to China, this is a wonderful early winter bloomer, suggestive of forsythia to come a little later.
We’ve had a wonderful summer in Asia, enjoying all the sights and sounds. This beautiful garden was a real highlight of our trip. It has multiple, themed garden areas, all wonderful, but this one was my favorite.
Everywhere I look, things are blooming and thriving. I have so many beautiful photos that I thought I’d just post a gallery. Our rainy May is really paying off, but hot dry weather is coming- don’t forget to water!