The Finishing Touches

Not to suggest that I'm done making changes for the year, but for the most part, the beds in the backyard are done!

Back Bed

Here's how it "started" (after I cleaned it all up) this year.

A few weeks later (you can tell by how much bigger the perennials got), here's how it looked after rearranging some things (according to the nerdy garden plan) and adding a few new items.

Here's the final (for now) version, after adding the alyssum edging.

Tomato Beds

These are pretty much the same as last year, but with more teepees (so each tomato plant gets its own support) and alyssum edging.

Front Bed

By the end of last year, the stachys (lamb's ears) had completely taken over the front bed. They looked really ratty by mid-summer and then just kept getting bigger until they almost swallowed up the nearby annuals. M's take: "Looks like you got ten pounds of sh-t in a five pound bag." (He's so eloquent. But he's right -- look below.)

So I pulled it all out and gave half of it to Seza ...
... making room for a totally different approach.

Here's what was left after the clean-up.

I added a mix of annuals and perennials, following the nerdy garden plan and emphasizing contrasting foliage and butterfly/bird appeal.

Got a little excited while doing the planting and thought, "What the heck -- I'll expand the bed a few square feet."

Here's the "final for now" version, complete with alyssum edging.

So am I done for the year? Not even close! Now come all the new projects (pending budgetary approval), including:

• A more permanent pathway between the patio and the hammock (last year's path was just some hardwood chips on the ground);
• A pathway around the side of the house, leading from the front to the veranda, edged by some interesting ornamentals;
• Installing a shade garden (I'm thinking Looking Glass and Jack Frost brunnera, Ghost and Japanese painted ferns, and maybe some space for flowering annuals like torenia -- definitely no impatiens) under the pine tree to make it prettier and reduce the amount of lawn we have;
• Moving the lilacs, currently languishing in the shade to the south of our patio, to a sunny spot next to the front porch so they can really do their thing;
• Something with the shady part of the back fence (virginia creeper? short reed fencing?);
• Putting in a bed of drought-resistant plants -- anchored by tall ornamental grasses -- outside our dining room window, giving us more privacy and less lawn;
• And, come fall, expanding all of the backyard beds so I can have more space for edibles, a small walking path through the beds and, again, less lawn. :)

Is all of this going to happen this year? Not likely (it's certainly not all likely to make it through the budget review process), but it's nice to dream.