Land in Between

There is a narrow strip of land in between our driveway and my neighbor's driveway....which is my mom's house. It is a pie shaped piece of land that at the street is as wide as my mailbox and opens up to be about 15 - 20 feet wide at our gate. When we moved here there were a couple of old pine trees in the middle. As fate would have it, we had them taken down the week before Hurricane Isabel hit our area. They took other trees out as well. It was fortuitous to have removed those as they were riddled with an ant colony in the center. The prevailing winds would have knocked these trees down on our garage/ house. After the removal of all the roots, I needed to plant a garden of some sort there. I did a raised bed with a Crape Myrtle in the center--Lagerstroemia indica 'Tuscarora'.

To keep the area planted with similar colored plants, I tried to stay with the dark pinks and reds.

You can click on the collage to see more detail. Included in this planting area is a Hibiscus moscheutos 'Luna Series' which is dark pink. I love these dinner plate sized blooms. It is the same color as the Crape Myrtle. By the house is a Gardenia 'August Beauty' and a lot of volunteer impatiens. The red and pinks of the impatiens echo the colors of the Crape Myrtle and the Hisbiscus.

Additionally the Pineapple lily is in that bed. It is really changing as it blooms!
I have a Pennisetum and a couple Carex in the bed as well. The fencing is not to keep the bunnies out, but to keep the stampeding dogs from running through the plants and breaking them.

Up by the mailbox is one Artemisia 'Powis Castle' and the new Pennisetum 'Fireworks'.
In front of the Artemisia is a sweet little Portulaca...great blooms!


I am quite pleased with how this section of the yard is looking right now. Hope you enjoyed the mini-tour!

July 2009 Garden Blogger Bloom Day

Hard to believe it is already July 15th! There is so much color in my yard this time of year. I thought the easiest thing to do would be to put up a collage of current blooms and berries.
From the upper left hand corner- Rubus argutus Navaho (thornless blackberries),Gaura lindheimeri 'Ballerina Rose', caladium bloom, Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage), Lagerstroemia x.Tuscarora (Crape Myrtle), Lantana camara 'Miss Huff', Hibiscus moscheutos, some 'fun guy', Rosa 'Carpet Rose' white, Lobularia maritima (Sweet alyssum), Hydrangea paniculata, Hibiscus coccinea 'Texas Star', Dwarf Yellow Canna,H. paniculata, Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower), Sambucus (elderberries), more blackberries, Cleome (Spider Flower), Caladium 'Red Flash', Pennisetum setaceum rubrum 'Fireworks' & Artemisia 'Powis Castle', Hybiscus syriacus 'Marina' (Rose of Sharon 'Blue Bird'), Dwarf Red Canna.



Be sure to click on the collage and make it larger.

Here is an interesting bloom-- a Caladium bloom.


As always, it is time to check out the other garden blogger's blooms---head over to Carol's web site May Dreams Gardens.

Plume Day deux

Back to the plumes. Should never start a blog entry at dinner time. Most of the grasses are in the front and side yard. I have a few specimens of the Carex comans "Bronze" and it is a nice compact sedge. The plume or seed head is very small, almost didn't see it last year, but there were a few new sprouts nearby in the spring.







Pennisetum alopecuroides "Moudry" is front and center of the front yard garden. Unfortunately it reseeds prolifically so I am careful to get the 'babies' under control... sharing with friends.







As a couple accents I have two red Cordylines, not sure of the variety. I was surprised to see it come back after last winter. The rotten bunnies had eaten the foliage down to a nub in the winter, then a hard freeze in late February took out the rest of what was left. Spring brought new growth and a nice accent near my red Japanese maple.


Throughout the garden I have had the Stipa tenuissima "Pony Tails" reseed. They are easy enough to dig up and share, so I don't mind the scattering of these little grasses. They move so easily with the breeze and give nice movement to the garden.















The only Miscanthus that I have is Miscanthus sinensis "Dixieland" It is a 3'- 4' tall specimen. I am not entirely happy with the location of this grass. Think I may move it so it is more noticable. The foliage is a green and white variegation with a slender leaf. I love the plumes on Miscanthus...very graceful.

A true thug in the garden is Phragmites australis - Giant Reed grass or Common Reed grass. This guy came into our neighborhood with the flood waters of Hurricane Isabel. My neighbors and I are trying to eradicate this very invasive weed. It chokes out the natives shoreline grasses and keeps on coming. Pruning to the ground and applying Roundup directly to the fresh cut seems to be fairly effective.



Last but not least are two small 'grasses'. First is the common Liriope muscari, this is a nice anchor, border, filler and all around easy plant. You don't think about the flowers nor the berries during the growing season, then during the winter they really stand out.

The second is a carex that was planted late September and didn't bloom this year but I am really looking forward to having it bloom next year. I saw an example of this plant in Pam Harper's garden. It is truly striking. This variegated carex is Carex phyllocephala 'Sparkler'. Will be sure to take photos of it when we have the seed heads splaying out as a sparkler.

The Stipas and the Carexes do not need pruned back in the winter, though you can comb your fingers through the foliage and pull out the dead. The Pennisetums, Liriope, Miscanthus, Muhlenbergia and the Pampas Grass all get cut back before new growth starts in the spring. For now, they are all gracing the garden with their beauty.