In the Garden

Not much has been happening in the gardens other than clearing brush and over growth. We decided to remove all of the remaining bits of garden decorations left by the previous owner to create a more uniform theme. The focus has been on preparing the greenspace areas for our upcoming anniversary party. The unseasonably dry weather combined with higher temperatures are working against us. I've put the sprinkle to both the grass and shrubs hoping it will help. The sod is scheduled to be put in tomorrow where we removed gardens entirely. I will have to keep the water to these areas so the sod survives.

Gnameless Gnome

Gnameless has taken up watching over the gardens between the house and garage. He's the official gnome greeter for newly arriving gnomes. He is shaded by a large peony (Paeonia) and boxwood. I'm not sure what colour the peony is so will have to wait for the blooms. I've always wanted peonies as my Mom had them in her garden. There are three peony bushes in the garden area between the house and garage. I'll comment more on growing peonies in a later blog entry.

Racoons

The previous owner left a stump that I felt would work well with my theme. I nestled the stump into a cascading bed of English Ivy off the covered patio. The ivy covers the hill at the side of the house opening into a wider, ivy covered garden filled with various plants, some of which need to be removed. Our long-time garden helpers, the racoon brothers, found a home on top of the stump. They will be guarding a gnome entrance, not yet installed. To the right of the stump are more boxwoods. Behind the stump is a clump of silver grass.

Rose of Sharon, Althea

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a beautiful flower bush that I previously commented on here. They are often used as hedges in our area or as an ornament bush in the garden. I had three varieties in our previous garden and saved seeds from each. With any luck I will be able to enjoy these varieties again in this garden.

I was quite pleased to discover a lovely Rose of Sharon (Althea) in the gardens between the house and garage. Unlike my the Rose of Sharon from the previous garden, this one has double blooms giving the bush a rather exotic look. The bright pink blooms add a wonderful splash of colour against the green backdrop and English Ivy ground cover.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007