I spend the majority of my time in my backyard in the summer due to the heat. The front beds are looking fabulous this year so I thought they deserved a chance in the limelight for a change. So here’s a quick tour of the Rose Bed, Foundation Beds and Border Bed: (all photos can be enlarged by clicking on them)
Border & Rose Garden Beds 5-15-09
Although the Peonies in the Border Bed are long since spent there are other things that will soon open such as the Drumstick Alliums, Asiatic Lillies and Coneflowers. Currently the Daylily ‘Stella’ is putting on a great show at the front of this bed. The Rose Garden is filled with two hybrid Peace Roses, Knockouts, Purple Coneflowers, Purple Blazing Star and the Phlox ‘Robert Poore’. My plan is the deepen this bed by at least 18″ – 2′ in the future.
Foundation Bed 5-15-09
As you can see the front foundation bed is pretty simple and low maintenance. I have a white flowering Buddleia, four ‘Emerald & Gold’ Euonymous, and three Clematis ‘Niobe’ planted here. ‘Niobe’ seems to be happy in her new home on the double white trellises and has already climbed almost half way up. The Buddleia is cut back 12-16″ from the ground every spring and it tops out at about 7′ come summer. When I finally have the time I plan on expanding this bed (maybe in the fall) to include the sidewalk. On the other side of the steps you can just barely make out the other smaller foundation bed which is filled with Nandinas, Canna ‘Purpurea’, Creeping Phlox, Solidago ‘Fireworks’ and Euphorbia polychroma (Cushion Spurge). It also has a small waterfall fountain that I enjoy listening to early in the morning while sitting on the stoop with a cup of coffee. Hope you enjoyed the tour! 
