How Does Your Garden Grow...........

As with everyone, the gardens are always a "work in progress".....mine have changed as I've moved, inheriting someone elses vision, while bringing along some of my previous vision.

When I first moved to this house, I was overwhelmed with how many, and how huge, the flower beds are. When I was a little younger I wouldn't have minded that, but these days I'm just not as keen about spending my weekends with my hands in the dirt, although I still love my flowers!

Sooooo....I did what I thought I'd never do and ripped out every rose bush (yes, I did give them to someone who would love them and care for them) and began my quest to make the yard a little more "user friendly". I put forsythia where the roses were, with peonies planted in between.....peonies are my new answer to roses and I just love them! There's no blackspot....no beetle problems.....no fungus....and the flowers are absolutely to die for! Here are some of mine:

If they lasted longer, I'd have nothing but peonies! But since I love having flowers in the house throughout the seasons, I have other favorites....such as.....lillies! I adore lillies! Now they don't look so great IN the beds, but as soon as they bloom they're gone anyway....into the house....into a vase.....and throughout the house. It's one time that I don't need to burn scented candles! Here are some of my faves:


As much as I love the flowers, I also realized that I needed to bring in shrubbery that would be easy to take care of.....such as the Chinese Fringe Flower (the purple-ish shrub) and the "False Cypress" (I guess named because it's yellow-ish and not green). I also enjoy my planters of angel-winged begonias with a lime green hanging vine (uhhhh....I have NO idea what it's called, but it dies back in the winter and thrives in the summer!).

Come along and let's take a walk around the house......first up, my prized HUGE hosta called Sum and Substance. Mine is only 3 years old, so it's not as big as it will get as it "grows up".

Here's my Swamp Lily.....they seem to pop up everywhere, grow for a couple of years, then they're gone...only to find them somewhere else! I love them....just cut them back in the fall and that's about it!

Canna lillies are easy to take care of too....I love this one's leaves....Next up....the clematis that grows absolutely everywhere! It sprouts up in the strangest places! It also grows up over the deck and covers the rails and when it blooms it smells awesome. Below that are more of my hostas, some ferns and a calla lily (yep, I do love lillies!)

We used to grow a huge vegetable garden, but it just got to be too much, so now we grow tomatoes on our deck!It's all about plants that are easy to take care of, provide drama to the huge beds in this yard and plants the keep the vases throughout the house full and smelling good! I hope you enjoyed visiting my gardens.......more to come!!!