Not so long ago, I vowed to have my garden/property looking fantabulous by June 29th, 2013.
Why put that pressure on myself?
Because NOW is the time to dedicate the time and effort to something I love. Let’s go for broke. Dream big and try to pull this off while I am still physically able to do so. I’m daring myself to accept the challenge and see it to fruition. It will be the opposite of “stop and smell the roses”. More like “bypass the roses, pick up your shovel because we’ve got ten yards of topsoil to spread.”
Why that date?
I need to give myself ample time to do this right and plan it appropriately. I need two springs and one fall to plant my ass off and my absolute favorite time of the year in the garden is late June/early July.
Speaking of planning, I spent this past weekend photographing my garden beds in their current state as a means to capture them at their weakest. My ultimate goal is to have four full seasons of interest throughout my yard and now is the time to assess where that stands. I feel very vulnerable sharing some of these photos with you, but is for the greater good.
Today, I’ll show you what is going on (or not going on) in the bed that surrounds my driveway. I see it more than any other garden bed so I NEED to get it right. Hopefully these photos will inspire me to think “winter interest” throughout the planning process because it can be easy to forget once everything is green and thriving in the spring/summer.
Here is photo #1 as of today:
The dilemma – I love how it looks from early summer through mid Fall. Do I accept that and move on? Maybe the Siberian irises, which bloom in mid-spring, don’t work here because they bloom when the surrounding Miscanthus grasses are still sheared to the ground and the Eupatorium (Joe-Pye weed) have yet to put on any height? Maybe I need to mix in some evergreen shrubs to get the “green” in winter/early spring and some bulbs for some early spring blooms? Problem is this area stays wet for long periods of time.
This shit keeps me up at night.
Photo #2 as of today:
And in late summer/early fall:
Again, a whole lot of brown and not much else. I don’t think drastic changes are necessary, but I’m hoping I can strategically add some winter color and maybe an inanimate object or two. Oh yeah, I can’t forget the impact the deer have here.
Finally, a quick pat on my own back for inspiration. I planted this section of the bed in summer of ’10:
I’ll continue the theme of “winter interest” over the next few posts and hopefully something will click with all of your wonderful feedback (hint hint).
It has to look better than this in late winter, right?:
John
Your plantings look wonderful when they are in full bloom, but I know what you mean about the grasses that have to be cut down. Panicum Northwind does not have to be cut down and looks great all winter, even bounces back after snow. I am finding that Little Kitten can also stay standing because it is not too tall. Azelea Karen looks great in the winter because it keeps its reddish brown leaves. Heucheras like Southern Comfort stay a beautiful reddish orange color all winter even through heavy snow.
Eileen
This shit keeps me up at night, too! Will a Korean fir thrive in your zone? I am so in love with that tree right now. Your gardens are lovely, shorn grass and all. 🙂
I have black thumbs, however, the idea of evergreens sounds ideal. Still a pop of green, even in the winter!
I like the idea of a conifer thrown in there. But, even with just the grasses cut down, there is still a good rhythm to your garden, so relax – and get a good night’s sleep! Good luck on your goal!
It looks pretty fabulous even in winter! I think you are on target, though, with considering some non-plant things. Perhaps art that really don’t show up until winter, when you’ve done the plant cleanup. It might be something to look forward to in the “dead” season. I have a clipped hedge in my home garden that basically disappears when all of the summer things are in their glory, but it is pretty fabulous in the dead of winter. It adds a framework to all the brown!
Remember that the winter look is still all good. It’s like to remind you that unless you let the garden look like crap once in a while, you’ll explode!
You’re inspiring me to get going!!
Gatsby – I just planted three ‘Northwind’ last spring and they already look promising. Very excited to see how they do this year. You’re right about more heucheras too, so many to choose from it’s almost overwhelming. Thank you for the suggestions!
Heather – Korean Fir does work in my zone 6 and now I am VERY intrigued. Anxious to see if my local nurseries carry it this spring. Thanks a bunch!
Ms. A – the pop of green is so underrated this time of year and I do need more of it. Thanks for popping by again!
Holley – I love conifers, concern is my poor drainage and how they will overwinter. But you know what, now is the time to throw caution to the wind. Thanks for the comment and feedback.
Tim – I am on the hunt for garden art as I realize I’m missing a key component, especially now. Thank you for the ideas!
Idiot – I’m getting the winter thing down more and more … I think … I hope.
Lori – happy to inspire … I can’t get it out of my thoughts!
As for winter interest, when I first started gardening, I thought, “Who cares?”. Now that I am so deep into gardening and can’t think of anything else, I started thinking “Maybe they have something there, winter interest.” That is when I spotted a blue princess holly at Home Depot for only $13. Sooooooo easy to grow, and the way it was pruned is reminiscent of a banzai tree. The berries stay on it for quite a while and it is now my #1 plant. I love it to pieces. Found out after I purchased it, that it needs a male in order to get the berries, and the male will not have berries. Evergreen foliage, shiny blue-green. Beautiful. Love it. Even my boyfriend, whom thinks I am crazy out of control with gardening, was quite taken by it, and wanted one of his own. I LOVE it! One male (blue prince holly) can pollinate up to 6 females (blue princess holly) Some nurseries plant male and female together so that you don’t have one without berries. Personally, I put the blue prince in an inconspicuous area, and give princess full reign. You get 3 times the berries when planted separate.