Island, as in the bed between the circular drive, and the street.
Not exactly the most welcoming place around.
All that brown stuff is Vinca Minor...ground cover that has never looked all that good.
The old, rotten railroad ties had to go.
There needed to be some interest, for the first thing people see when they arrive.
So, all that ugly stuff was voted off the Island!
So...we had the vinca removed. And, then we had a ton...literally...of
chopped stone delivered.
And soon, things were looking better.
We hauled around some big stones, and built up a mound
with decomposed granite and soil.
In went the Yucca rostrata I got with my gift certificate
from Shoal Creek Nursery.
We put down some stepping stones to the birdbath.
Takes up room AND doesn't need to be watered.
So now, this view from the front porch, is transformed....
...to this.
From the street...
You get this.
At the south end...
...we put in a cold hardy palm.
The Salvia greggii, Hot Lips, went in the front...more will be added.
An Artemisia Powis Castle, was moved from another area.
Agave lophanthas were moved in, too.
I'm thinking more plants will go in next spring....
some grasses, maybe?
The palm gets tucked in under blankets each night.
Cold hardy or not...it hasn't been in the ground very long.
And, we've had lows in the 20s for several nights now.
Since the leaves on those Cedar Elms are finished falling,
we'll be putting down mulch soon.
Then, we need to get started on this. Another welcoming bed for the front.
It's the Never Ending Story...
Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~
So pretty. I love the stone border. Hope you are staying warm with all this cold weather.
ReplyDeleteIt's looking good there, very appropriate to your area and the chop stone blocks won't rot or rust. Progress is so encouraging isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAs you say a never ending story but don't you feel proud of your finished project? You should. And the best bit is in the summer you will get to go out there every day to admire it and fill the water bath! Do you have a watering system where you can tie in a drip? Nice choice for your gift. I have one that I bought as a baby at Lowes' one end of summer. I am amazed at how it has grown. It is in decent soil though.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the yucca rostrata! It is so pretty with the light shining through it. What a great accomplishment - you must feel so good about that! Never ending story, indeed!
ReplyDeleteHow cool. Funny, but you did a couple of the things I was going to suggest, but decided to sit it out...change "that 70's RR ties" to cut limestone, and plant understory plants near the tree trunks. Good choices!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone.
ReplyDeleteIt does feel so much better. Not sure why we didn't start there first. But, I'm liking it so far.
There's no irrigation system there. We'll have to run a hose to water. It'll be soakers or drip. I want things that don't need much water there....and, in the driveway bed that comes next.
I've gotten lots of ideas from all your blogs. Thanks for that, too.
Good ideas, I especially like the steps to the birdbath. Is the area shady enough for turk's cap & beauty berry? The birds would love it and you'd have more hummingbird and butterfly habitat too.
ReplyDeleteGreat changes, and it's looking so much better than the old vinca and railroad ties. I look forward to seeing how this continues to evolve.
ReplyDeleteGreat changes, and it's looking so much better than the old vinca and railroad ties. I look forward to seeing how this continues to evolve.
ReplyDeleteKathleen~~There is enough shade for Turk's Cap and Beauty Berry. Haven't tried the Beauty Berry, but the deer haven eaten every Turk's Cap I've planted. Yes, I know...they're not supposed to like it. I'm going to plant some inside the fence next spring, though.
ReplyDeletePam~~Thanks. We're really pleased with the new look. Not sure why we waited so long.