Sometimes I forget how many garden beds I have in my yard. Plus the majority of them are quite large ranging from 20′ long and 5′-15′ in depth. I knew going into this fall project that I would need more than one load of that wonderful rich compost, but now after completing more of my back garden beds I realize that I will probably need at least two more loads before it’s all said & done. As you can see in the picture to the left I really put a dent in the pile and the funny part is I’m not even done with the back yard let alone the front garden beds. Luckily my son & his girlfriend were here yesterday and gave me a hand. My son loaded up the wheelbarrow while his girlfriend helped me spread it out. Here is what I’ve completed so far in the garden and I’m pleased with the results:
This is part of my new garden bed that I added in May of this year. I gave this bed a really good layer of the rich organic matter, since my natural soil is a heavy clay. Everything has done pretty well here this year. The Purple Fountain Grass (along the fence) is really stealing the show at the moment. I like the way the wind catches the plumes & gives the garden some life. Susie from Digging in the dirt asked me to post a picture of my Blackeyed Susan vine. It has really started to cover the TV Antenna trellis. I ordered seed for the white variety for next year. The white post in the lower right corner is the frame to my swing. It’s a nice place to sit & look at the garden after the sun goes down.
In this picture you can see the entire corner of this new bed. Some plants that have really done well here are the Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’ (to the left), the purple Angelina (in the front), and the Purple Fountain Grass. I also have some spring blooming plants & bulbs such as Daffodils, Crocosmia, Alliums and Candytuff plant here too. I still need to clean up the edge of this bed & mow. The Clematis on the trellis & Periwinkle in the hanging pots give the shed wall some interest. I’m considering painting the shed a warm shade of tan to match the siding on my house. It may help blend it in with the garden too.
This last shot shows the part of the new bed that runs along the fence and connects with the existing Hydrangea bed. The Forever & Ever Hydrangeas are not happy here and will be moved into a partial shade area this fall. The ‘Black Adder’ Hyssop & ‘Miss Huff’ Lantana seem to be perfectly content in this hot & dry area of the garden. I also will plant some daylillies & Liatris here to replace the Hydrangeas. I think the mixture of orange & purple will be a vibrant accent next year. Well this is what I’ve completed so far, I still have 2 more beds in the back to complete and 5 to complete up front. Wish me luck! :)
