MY GARDEN PATH

Outside my back door is my walkway to the back yard.  Most of our yard is flat, but when you exit the kitchen door there's a steep slope to the back yard.   It's always been a challenge.  This year I was thinking that it had gotten too overgrown.  I changed my mind after I snapped this photo in the early morning on an overcast day.  My opinion completely changed.  I think I'll keep it just as it is--for now.

I've always loved the archway.  It soon will be filled with Clematis.  The Cherry Laurel have the white blooms, the Azaleas are covered in pink blooms and the Pieris Japonica have new red growth.  I love the lime green Creeping Jenny ground cover and the way the she wraps herself around the slate stepping stones.  

MY GARDEN PATH

AZALEA AND CHERRY LAUREL

AZALEA

I love the contrast of the glossy dark green leaves and the white blooms on the Cherry Laurel.

CHERRY LAUREL FLOWERS

At the base of the path are my much loved perennial ferns.  They line the patio wall.

FERNS AT THE BASE OF MY GARDEN PATH

I have another field of ferns on the opposite patio wall.  Don't miss my silver garden sphere.  I placed it in to a bird bath in the garden.

FERN AND SILVER SPHERE

I mentioned in a previous post that I purchased some Giant Allium from Holland Bulbs.  I've been monitoring their progress.  The stem is already very tall and I can't wait for the bulb to bloom.  This is one of three bulbs.  I layered it in front of one of my clay chimney pots.

GIANT ALLIUM PROGRESS

How is your Spring garden doing?

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MY LATEST GARDEN ADDITION

Last year I removed a very large cherry laurel from one of the beds near my porch.  I planted a topiary lilac in its place.  It seemed like such a long wait until Spring to see it bloom.  The lilac did not disappoint.  It's gorgeous, and the fragrance is amazing.  

MY LILAC TOPIARY

These close-ups really show its beauty.

It peeks around the corner of the garage and can be seen from the front yard.

So pretty when viewed toward the garage too.

LOOKING TOWARD THE BACK YARD

You know how much I love my ferns.  I loved them even more when they layered themselves in front of the lilac.

FERNS LAYERED OVER LILAC

What have you added to your garden?

Spring Blooms

Yes, it's another post about my garden.  I thought I was done with the spring blooms but after a sunny bright weekend, rain was in the forecast and it was very overcast.  Overcast with no bright sun glare is perfect picture taking time and my garden was getting started.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity the weather had given me.  Enjoy more blooms.

Rhododendron and a Peek of My Birdbath

Pieris

Japanese Maple

Cherry Laurel

Nandina Still Holding On to Its Winter Berries

Climbing Hydrangea not blooming yet but curling nicely around my architectural fragment.

Azalea

Houttuynia, an invasive ground cover, near my kitchen porch.

Silver Dollar Plant, grown from seeds shared by my Mom.

Azalea in the foreground and a row of hostas on the wall.

I love Ferns.

I just made it.  The rain drops started just as I finished taking the photos.  Its been raining for several days now.
 I wonder what new blooms will appear after they get their big drink.

Kathy

Some Landscaping for the Screened Porch

Completed Porch

 
This is the second post in the screened porch saga.  If you missed the first one go here.
I really needed to add some plantings to the porch.  Let me remind you what it looked like when the porch was completed. 

And, a reminder of the horrible embarrassing before.

My son's baseball game was very near a Home Depot.  In the past I'd found very good deals on plants there, so we decided to stop by.  I couldn't believe that  they had one of the main shrubs I use in my yard, Cherry Laurel (technical name Otto Luyken).
They're usually very hard to find at a good price.  

I couldn't believe the size.

And the price was only $24.95.  I've never paid less than $35 each for them.

I couldn't wait to get them home and put them in the bed.  Here's the result.

I added a fern, also on sale, to the planter box.  If you notice at the corner of the porch is an old clay chimney pot.  I always look for these for the garden.  I'll do a separate post about these.   On top of it I used an armillary.  I also have used  the chimney pots as  tall planters and as a stand for a sun dial.

Here's a side view.

Now all I need is for the grass to grow.

Since I wrote this and took the photos, I've already made some landscaping changes.  No surprise, huh.  So now I'm changing up posts before they're published.


I added a column and put an annual (Mandevilla) in the planter.  My Black-eyed Susans are starting to come up again along the bed beside the sidewalk.

Also, the area next to the porch was a mud pit that needed some erosion control.  Sorry, no before pic. Trust me, it looked bad.  I actually had to shovel some of the mud off the lower patio after a rain storm.  I added rocks, divided and added my perennials from other gardens-hostas, sedum, coreopsis, liriope--along the walkway, and added some new Nandinas. I also planted some annuals in my bird bath and in the garden for some color.

This is another view looking down from the porch area.

I'm planning on putting some flagstones in the walkway and dividing my Sweet Woodruff from my other garden so it can fill in around the flagstones.  Here's what it looks like blooming in the spring in another of my gardens.  Sweet Woodruff is a perennial ground cover.  

It will look so pretty surrounding  flagstone on my now semi-muddy path.

What do you think so far?

Kathy

Thanks