Well- we're at it again. This is the south side of the house- very plain and heavily shaded. This is the utility end with the electric meter, gas line and cable tv. 20 years ago when we the addition was added to the front of the house they dug my shrubs and laid them off to the side with a pile of dirt on them to cover the roots. The next spring I re-planted and these two double file viburnum ended up over here. With virtually no sunlight they did not fare well. I have no idea why I've waited so long to do anything about it but we've finally put an idea in motion.
If you can spot it you can see a very large hosta on the back corner of the house. There are various hostas in my landscape that I plan to dig, split and replant over on this side. It's a good time to do this at this time of year since the days and nights are cooler and the plants will be less stressed out.
On the other side of the house is the driveway. We have a small turnaround spot and some Ninebark shrubs that haven't done well. There is a garden mum that came back from last year and we transplanted a very small red Japanese maple that you can just see on the right side. That got moved when we made the change by the side of the house and added new shrubs as shown "here". Normally you would never transplant a tree or shrub in mid summer but we did and for some reason it never skipped a beat and is doing quite well. (The best time to transplant trees and shrubs is in the fall when they are ready to go into dormancy or early spring before they are leafing out.)
Like before when we did our landscape renewal in late July out front as seen "here" Dan used our little John Deere tractor with it's front bucket to remove the shrubs. It saves a lot of back breaking stress as well as for the legs and knees!
Now I have a fairly blank slate. I scratched some ideas on paper and am currently working on giving this area a new look. It will be mostly plants that die back for the season. I also plan on transplanting a few things from the yard over here during this process.
When we did the foundation landscape renewal (first demo) I planted two knock-out roses. They had a couple of flowers at that time and seemed to stall out on flowering for a bit. Suddenly they exploded with flowers and I am so delighted!
Now the real test will be next spring. Hoping to see them come back with no problems!
The big Japanese Maple we put in is doing very well too as well as the two arborvitaes on the sides of the chimney. Compared to what I had before this is so much better looking.
I just had to share this. The big limelight has started to turn to the pink color. I opened the window from the living room and snapped a couple of shots.
Isn't it pretty- I wish it would stay this way! Eventually they all turn brown, but that won't happen for a little while yet.
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Isn't it fun to makeover a garden area. We are knee deep in our backyard landscaping.
ReplyDeleteWow. Your limelight is so full of blooms! What's your secret? I'm looking forward to seeing what you add to your new areas. :-)
ReplyDeleteThese hydrangeas do well up here, in fact most hydrangeas do well up here. I don't have a secret but I have to believe it's a combination of the soil type and where it's placed. It gets some watering through the summer since it's part of the garden bed, which I am sure is another part of it's success.
DeleteLiz, your gardens always look just gorgeous! We have so much landscaping to do at our new house, and I can't wait to get started. We have done a little, but with everything else going on right now there hasn't been much time. Your limelight is just beautiful! It looks like a picture out of a magazine!
ReplyDeleteLiz your garden is so beautiful. I always love seeing your beautiful outdoor space. I love knock out roses too. If you pull off the buds they will continue to re bloom all the way until the first frost. They are easy maintenance and grow so nicely. Have a great new week.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kris
I love your limelight hydrangea. I left a beautiful one behind at my last house. I did plant a new one a few weeks ago, but it will be a few years before it looks great. Good luck with your new project. Make sure to show us how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, it will all fill in before you know it. That little tractor is pretty handy. Loving the hydrangeas. I wish the color would last a very long time.
ReplyDeleteI love planning garden spaces. I don't have a green thumb at all, but thankfully my husband does. So I get to dream and he does the actual planting! ;) Have fun!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and that Limelight is amazing!!!! Will they dry that color if you cut them from the shrub?
ReplyDelete