garden tour

I mentioned our big planting project in the previous post...I thought I'd give you a little tour. It's not all at it's best at the moment, but there are promises of loveliness up ahead. We did an overhaul to our front yard and when we do that much planting we try to save money by getting the small size plants and being patient as we wait for them to fill up their spaces.
One hundred and twenty five holes were dug (albeit, some very small-see note above), and now all our plants are tucked nicely into their beds with blankets of pine straw tucked under their chins ;-) What a satisfying feeling!
We enlisted the help of a landscape designer that we met at our community garden. After seeing the magical secret garden of her own yard we knew that Caroline could help us transform the straight row of box hollies that were original to our mid century house into a curvy inviting space with texture and interest that would make the outside of our house feel like our home. We are thrilled with the final product... and especially that she has encouraged designed things in such a way that it doesn't have to be "done". The layout lends itself to tucking a few plants here and there as we find new things we want to try. Another huge bonus of having her help is that she introduced us to many new delightful little friends. Would you like to meet a few?

This delicate dancing wisp of a ground cover is "Georgia Blue" Veronica. We can expect these sweet sweet blue flowers every spring... be still my heart!

 This little guy is called "Shorty Euphorbia" ... follow this link to see how funky it's chartreuse bloom will look.

You may be asking yourself, " why did she post a picture of dead sticks?!?" This may not look like much now, but oh, the anticipation I feel about it! It is an Incrediball Hydrangea... it will have white blooms that are 12 inches in diameter! That is HUGE.... I truly am giddy with excitement for this one!

This tiny little bit is an example of our thrifty (encouraging patience ;-) choices. I got these "American Halo" Hostas for $1 each(at the Growers Outlet--see resources at the end for a link). They are maybe 4 inches in diameter, but supposedly they will grow to 60 inches... may take a while, but you can't beat $1!

I have had a special spot in my heart for the mournful Lenten Rose. I am so thankful for a sweet friend who had them spreading around her yard... she invited me to dig up some for my yard. Gladly, thank you thank you! So obviously it is so fabulous when you get plants this way because they are free, but I love it for other reasons as well... It makes me think of my great grandmother who most likely got a lot of her plants by sharing with friends. I like to be reminded of days gone by, but I also love the connection you feel to plants that have lived with friends. It is just a different way to start a relationship than by stopping in at Lowes for whatever's on sale.

We have had Oak Leaf Hydrangeas everywhere we have lived... Andrew and I both grew up with them growing wild in our woods. The white blooms are so elegant and the leaves also add lovely fall color.

Ahh! It is so nice to be reaping the rewards of my fall planting! I've been telling you about what some of our plants will do as they grow and seasons change, but this is the glorious now.

I bought a huge bag of tulips at Costco and packed them into this bed under my pansies and parsley. The red tulips are in full bloom now, but we have a second act as well... Some apricot tulips will be following in a week or so.

Here are a few resources that may be helpful if you are in the area:
Atlanta Landscape Materials-- We had a delivery of screened amended topsoil delivered to mix in with the red clay to give our new plants a better environment. You can also pick up smaller loads in your own truck. This would be a much more economical way to fill raised beds than buying bags of dirt from Lowes.
Riggins Landscape Co.-- This is the company that Caroline and her husband (Darrell) run. She does the designing, but they can also do the installation if you don't share our love of playing in the dirt ;-)
Buck Jones Nursery-- A great nursery... they supply to retailers in the area, but are also open to the public. I think the plants I got from them were about one third less than they would've been at Pike's.
Growers Outlet-- A great spot in Loganville to get great prices($1 hostas!). A lot of times the plants aren't as mature, but the savings are worth it to me. They update their website daily so that you will know what is avaliable before making the drive.

*If you are waiting with bated breath for the tutorial I alluded to last week, I'm sorry. It is mostly ready, but for a variety of reasons it is not quite finished. When I get some good sunshine, time, and someone to photograph the sweater while it is worn I promise I will get that post out.*