A lot has changed in my garden since the last time I posted about it! I got very ambitious and decided to extend the bed in the back yard all the way around the corner to meet the other little rectangle bed on the side yard. This way I got to give it a nice wavy line and make it not so boxy. I also decided I needed an actual plan for the garden, because I kept getting random things from work, and my Mom gave me a ton of iris and I got seeds from Abbey's Mom, and basically I just threw all these things in the ground. After the iris and hydrangea came up, it started looking really messy. So I pulled nearly everything out, reorganized, and filled in with new plants and mulch! Here it is!
Back Row: Iris (mostly purple I think...), A dark purple clematis, a hosta, a scented geranium(that repels mosquitos) and then a whole row of hydrangea, ending at the little japanese maple tree that Ann helped me prune.
Front Row: Two impatiens, another hosta, another impatien, then a whole row of begonias.
I had to move all the hydrangeas forward because I've been assured that they will become big bushes and need space. That has been one of the hardest things for me to learn, leaving room to grow. I want it all filled in immediately I guess =) Mom came over after I implemented this plan and said I did much better this time =) Then, we move around the corner...
...to my lovely new swoop! I think it looks so nice now that it's less choppy, a rectangle here, a circle around the crepe myrtle. So here's what I planted back here: Two billy balls, one lavender, one salvia, five pink verbena, and one peony!!! I'm excited for the peony, I hope it makes it. Then I transplanted a few of my hollyhocks. I only got one full sized hollyhock plants because I put the seeds WAY too close to things. So I transplanted a few of the little ones over to this part of the bed. They may not bloom this year, but at least they have a shot =) The larkspur is still pretty, and it's making lots of seeds so it will very likely come back! I don't know what to do with the iris mixed in with that larkspur so I left it alone for now, I may make an area for it later. I want to see if it blooms this fall or not.
Other than that, I actually have a few squash starting in my veggie bed! And I got some new basil plants that are big enough already to use a bit. The tomatoes are gigantic but haven't formed any tomatoes yet, we'll see, they do have flowers. Same with the tomatillos. I think the strawberries are done bearing fruit, but they're making lots of runners to fill in the half of the bed where the plants died pretty much as soon as I put them in. I've picked 15 peaches off my tree! Serenity, Jen, Casey and Barrett and I went blueberry picking, so I had all those peaches and a ton of blueberries, so I made some blueberry-peach butter. It's yummy! I should have gotten jars to can it but I can't get everything done =) If I have another batch of peaches I'll try jelly!
This morning I finished all the mulching and cleaned up the yard a bit, while Serenity enjoyed the newest craft project idea I found on the web... painting the sidewalk! I made paint out of cornstarch, water, and food coloring. She had a blast, and it kept her busy the whole time I was finishing off the last two bags of mulch.
Oh, I also pulled everything out of the front bed that was overgrown, but it looks basically empty so no pictures =) It was full of weeds and overgrown pansies and mums, and was also in need of a plan. So I moved the mums, added some free azaleas that may or may not make it, and have some room for more stuff =) But I'm not buying anymore plants this year so it'll have to be freebies from work or friends. I also weeded the side bed, and discovered a snake! It was tiny but I killed it with my shovel because I did not want it to find its way in the house or to reproduce too close to the house. I feel bad and very icked out, and also determined to weed a bit more often so those things can't hide as easily!