All I did was weed, remove landscape fabric, add rubber pavers, remove/fill in the old firepit and add a 'temporary' privacy screen to the project. (Riiiight - no sweat at all! *oof*) And I keep adding grass clippings to smother the sod under the backside expansion.
Because the deer have been less plentiful this year some plants survived the brutal winter and have filled in: the grown-from-seed hostas, the 3-out-of-6 anemones (still under netting - I"m no fool!), a volunteer butterfly bush (common), a lone lavender, a solitary Veronica, a dwarf lilac (unknown rescue) and a clump of Shasta daisies.
The pots sport all the left-over dwarf French marigolds I started from seed in Spring.
Placement is all wrong for most of the plants and will be moved.
But, honestly, it's a treat to sit back there, enjoy the shady breezes and watch bees and butterflies on the blooms. I love how the butterfly bush hugs the frame on the one side and the hostas on the other. Just wait until I install a climbing honeysuckle next year.
Man, if this transitional mode is any indication, this swing garden has real potential.
I love watching things evolve.....
I just try to stay away from mirrors.
Your garden is looking so great. I would love a volunteer butterfly bush. I am using a lot of grass this year to keep weeds and things down in the garden. It really works well and what few weeds sneak through I pull. You look like you are getting good rains this year compared to last. We had a dry spell but now are getting too much rain. All your photos show lots of beauty.
ReplyDeleteHi Larry, what nice compliments. Thank you. :-D Yeah, we have had a good year for rain - like 2011. I just found another volunteer butterfly plant next to the garage. It will be rehomed. I love using grass clippings to build/extend beds and smother sod. The swing garden will get lots of chopped leaves this fall and I should be able to do some good planting back there next Spring. Hope you dry out soon. Looks like we'll get some rain today/tomorrow. Hope it will break the steamy heat we have right now. Take care.
DeleteYou have a real knack for making up beds. I was looking at my "new" garage border yesterday and didn't like what was coming up where, so I started moving stuff around. That's SUPPOSED to be a no-no, but really, it's the only way I can get stuff placed right. It has NEVER worked for me drawing out a plan. Sure, it LOOKS good on paper, but rarely ends up looking good in real time. And I can't "arrange" baby perennials either. I'm hopeless. But, it gives me plenty to do on days when I feel like making work. Ah, to have your talent. Why don't you come up with a trailer and pick up a load of my "extra" deer to take home with you and show me how the heck you do things. And bring that extra butterfly bush--I'll show ya how I kill those too......LOL!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day in the garden (EVERY day in the garden is great, aint it?)
What a strange concept: ...draw up a plan. Must be a Michigan thing. LOL I find drawings too confining, too frustrating and too hard. I just try to visualize generalized shapes in my head that appeal to me (like Hugh Jackman *heh*). No really, I wing it. There are MANY not-quite-rights, near-misses and outright what-was-I-thinking? results. What I do have a knack for is recognizing when something goes right -- and then figure out WHY that shape or color or design worked.
DeleteAnd now listen here, Sue. You can't go all modesty and self-effacing here. You have a blog. I'VE SEEN YOUR PICS! Where do you think I'm stealing, uh, borrowing ideas from lately? As for the deer, all I can offer is to Google venison recipes. *sigh*
Enjoy the upcoming weekend. It's our holiday, after all. LABOR day. You go girl.
Ha! I just snorted half my tea out over the table (Generalized shapes that appeal-Hugh Jackman) Girl, you make me LAUGH!
DeleteHave a great weekend
: )
**I love watching things evolve....**
ReplyDeleteme too!! :) thanks so much for posting the update....looking good..
**I just try to stay away from mirrors.** .... LOL!!
Hi Lois. Glad you stopped by. As for the mirrors, sometimes, no matter how much work, things still look a little weedy these days. *heh*
Delete