Garden Angst: The Front Yard in Mid-July, 2012

I'm fairly happy with the front yard. There also a wide swath of pumpkin-colored daylilies in the hellstrip making it feel sort of like a three ring circus in mid-July.

In my front yard and typically the first impression visitors have of my garden is hostas. When the Master gardeners visited, their first comment was, "Oh, you're into hosta." To which I had to reply, that I really wasn't, but grass just doesn't grow there under the big white pine and in the shade of the houses on the north side of my house, in the sand.

Where I have a bit more sun I try and grow daylilies, because they will bloom in the sun, or shade; but really all of you reading this, you are short-changing the beauty of the daylilies by growing them in the shade. The corner with the 'Red Jade' crab is the farthest point from my hose connection. It is the hardest to water.

As my lot has street and alley on three sides, my gardening has always been about problem solving, defining the perimeter, and adding privacy.

This little spot looks a lot better in spring and fall. The color combos with sedum 'Matrona', the blue balllon flowers, coneflowers, filapendula, valerian, black Austrina pine just seems very dark. There's an apricot tree here, too, you can't see. I think the plants there probably aren't going anywhere, but there must be a way to "lighten it up". Anyone?

This is the long border, which I have been re-digging the last few days. As you can see the middle of July is definitely a down time for the long border. At one point, it had waves upon waves of bloom. Now the show is early spring and then late summer and early fall. I'm not sure what happened.

I painted the two trellis in this area green apple and have planted a lot more liatris as they bloom then. This just seems a sea of green and I am loath to plant out bedding annuals for a shot of color. It seems like I need some sort of broad, large leaved plant for some sort of focal point. I've thought of doing a swath of native beebalm and Jacob Kline mixed and have already divided and spread out a pale yellow daylily. (This is the area in my last post with the shovel stuck in it!)

Thoughts?

Help! 314 Days and Counting...

(What the garden needed more than anything else this summer was moisture.)

Next July 13 (2013), I am going to be a basket case. I know it. A couple Mondays ago, the county Master Gardeners (well,not all of them, a committee of them) "toured" my yard. Someone had dropped a bug in their ear about my tiny home garden. I don't suppose they said anything about how TINY it is, or that I have A DOG, or, WEEDS! Someone who typically sees my front yard, where I make a much bigger effort to keep up "appearances".

Irregardless of its (MY) shortcomings, their committee at large met and discussed among themselves and had their secretary or sunshine lady or whatever, maybe the "garden chairperson" send me a cute little note and thank you. Because I have so many unusual plants, fruits, tree, etc., "...our guests will enjoy learning of them," she wrote. "More info to come..."

Eek!

Time to put up, or shut up. I critiqued a lot of area gardens this summer, and didn't spend a lot of time in mine. Now the veggie garden, that's a thing of beauty.

My home garden?

I figure I need the whole 10 1/2 months to get this garden walk thing done.

Really?

Yes, REALLY!!!

You see I just don't accessorize. There are a dozen projects unfinished. My fence, I have been working on staining it for THREE years.

(No that's not where I have decided to plant the 'Golden Shadows' dogwood. It is just sitting there in its pot!)

It is only 120 feet long. AND the weeds!

This last spring for Handsome Son's graduation party, I simply mulched HEAVY. And then it rained for three days and pretty much everyone was inside anyway. That was nearly the last time it rained. So this year, because of the endless stretch of days over 95 and no rain, I stood with a hose and going around the yard with an automatic sprinkler.

I certainly didn't weed. I didn't even trim a lot of the shrubs back because I didn't want to stress them (ME) out.

And as I walk around the yard, I notice it is 102 on my outdoor thermometer. Still. Okay, granted it is on the south side of my house, and it is no where near as humid as it has been this summer; it is still hot.

Frankly, I have spent a lot of time at the family vegetable garden and with Baby Gardener and the Twins, teaching summer school, and getting Handsome Son ready for college this summer.

About two weeks ago,I actually walked around the yard thinking if all the summers to come are more like this, how do I dryscape this? Yes, I had green grass, but I also acquired a small patch of creeping Charlie, and even the gravel scree garden was having a hard time in the heat. The Annabelle hydrangeas on the east side of the house actually roasted out and burnt, regardless that I kept them watered.

Several patches of plantain and turkey foot and pigeon grass would like to crowd out the fescue.

Okay. I didn't like the federal park dark green I painted all my metal chairs right before graduation and have opted to do two over in this nice green apple.

And I do have a couple nice pots like this and an unusual planter (which I have never actually planted).

So all of you garden walking people, what do you like to see (or don't like to see) when you visit a garden featured on a garden walk?

You artsy folk out there, what are some of nicer and cleverer (cheap) ways to accessorize a garden?

I'd also like to incorporate a solar-powered water feature, too; nothing grand, just the calming sound and splash of gurgling water.

I'm taking suggestions on everything garden walk-related for the next 300 days or so, and unfortunately you are all going to be exposed to my garden angst as I throw out small sections of my garden for your critique.

Have at it!

Visitng the County Fair

Silly pork butt picture at the county fair.



I've spent the last three days at my brother's house and the family garden babysitting the twins while their parents have been on vacation. It has given me some time to can and freeze.

Back at my own home, my son managed to hold himself together, care for Faithful Companion, get to work, and feed himself, barely. Dirty dishes were "neatly" stacked, laundry overflowing, and he only slept one hour on Thursday because he and his best friend went "out" to breakfast at 2 AM.

Hmmm.

So as I work my way through mountains of his dirty clothes and do dishwasher after dishwasher of dirty glasses and plates (Have I mentioned his normal feeding schedule is about once per twenty minutes?, and make and can salsa today, I will mention I made my annual trip to the County Fair, yesterday.

County Fairs are a wealth of resources, particularly, which vegetable varieties have grown well for gardeners in the local area. One of judging rules requires naming the variety, great for me!

So far I have yet to see red sweet peppers for sale at Farmers' Markets. The best sweet red sweet pepper I saw displayed was a green 'Carmen', the variety I planted this year also.

Of the cherry tomatoes, the winner was another variety, of which I have already written, the 'Super Sweet 100'.


Broccoli 'Bay Meadow'


Tomato 'Celebrity'
'Celebrity' was the consistently largest tomato of all the entries.


This tomato, 'German Red', was particularly tastey-looking.


Celery 'XP-266'

Until last year I didn't realize celeruy could even be grown here. Last year a single entry of the variety 'Michigan' was entered. THis year there were many entries, no 'Michigan', but lots of 'XP-266' and 'Green Bay' or "self-blanching". I grew 'Tango'. I didn't see seed for these other varieties.


Celery 'Green Bay'


Grapes 'King of the North'


'Sweet corn 'Ambrosia'

We wanted to stay away from GMO and hybrid sweet corn. I'm not familiar with 'Ambrosia' and will have to check that one out further.

Today it is back to salsa-making.

Tomorrow: More of the county fair.