Category Archives: front bed

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2016

backyard bed, bloom day, containers, fence bed, front bed, gate bed, house bed, perennials, sidewalk bed, the Lot

Happy Bloom Day! Every month May Dreams Gardens host Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, a day in which gardeners from around the world share what is blooming in their gardens.

First up is a shot from the Lot’s gate bed which is in the shade the majority of the day with just a touch of afternoon sun. The astilbe is in bloom, nestled among the hosta, maiden hair fern, and maiden hair grass.

071516_astilbehostafern

This next bloom is a dwarf coneflower, Echinacea purpurea ‘Butterfly Kisses.’ This little guy helps to keep the roots of the clematis cool in an area exposed to full day sun.

071516_butterflykisses

And out front in the south bed are the standard purple coneflowers. I noticed these plants aren’t as prolific as last season. I will have to get in there later and see if there is any disease or other factors stunting the growth.

071516_coneflowerstand

Here is one of the hanging baskets from this season, containing zinnias, snap dragons, and kale. I really dig how the blue green foliage of the kale is working out here.

071516_hangingbasket

Here is a container put together by my gardening friend Miss A.

071516_hangingbasket2

In the north bed by the house, the ligularia is blooming.

071516_ligularia

And on the east side of the house, the masterwort and lady’s mantle are both showing color.

071516_masterwortmantle

This next bed I’ve struggled with ever since beginning to garden on the Lot. Who knew common milkweed grew so tall! Blooms include tall garden phlox, balloon flowers, and coreopsis.

071516_milkweed

I picked up this mix of succulents, great as a ground cover,  from a neighborhood plant exchange. I used them to fill in some gaps here and there in the full sun bed in the backyard.

071516_mixedsedum

Finally, here is the ornamental oregano just added to the Lot this spring. It is near the purple coneflowers in the front, south bed. I saw this plant draping over a rocky border during the 2014 Portland Garden Bloggers’ Fling. I’ve wanted one ever since!

071516_ornamentaloregano

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – April 2016

backyard bed, bloom day, bulbs, fence bed, front bed, loki bed, pollinators, spring

Warmer weather has arrived at the time of this Bloom Day, a garden bloggers’ meme where gardeners across the world share what is currently blooming in their gardens. This April on the Lot is dappled in blues, lavenders, and yellows. The snowdrops, tommies, and aconite have faded, but the remaining early spring bulbs are now in bloom.

Early Spring Bulbs Gate Bed

Here is a photo of the soon to be developed, additional backyard bed where we planted a serviceberry shrub last Fall. Glory of the Snow (Chinodoxa luciliae), Blue Squill (Scilla siberica), and Tete-a-tete Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Tete-a-tete’) add little dashes of color around the budding shrub.

Early Spring Bulbs

Also blooming in the backyard are the Ice Stick tulips, which remind me of fried eggs when completely open in full sun.

ice stick tulips

Here is one of the many early pollinators I found around the tulips and other early Spring bulbs when snapping photos for Bloom Day.

bee Ice Stick Tulip

Here is an up close and personal looks at both the Glory of the Snow (with bee) and the Blue Squill.

Bee on Glory of the Snow

Blue Squill

Around front in the South bed, the Lot’s more familiar Spring arrivals are beginning to appear. These daffodils near the front steps always have the prettiest ruffles and frills.

Double Daffodils

And last but not least, our lovely Lenten Rose (Hellebore) in Loki’s bed.

Lenten Rose

There were a few times during the extreme temperature swings this Spring I worried about frost damaging this plant. However, being well established now and the first perennial plant on the Lot every season, it sort of shrugged off the frost each morning and gradually recovered throughout the day. It does a great job brightening up the shade bed where is lives.

lenten Rose Flower

Beyond some cheery violets and violas, that is about it for the Lot this month. To see more beautiful, Spring blooms, check out May Dreams Gardens.

Something is Stirring

backyard bed, bulbs, fence bed, front bed, gate bed, perennials, sidewalk bed, southwest bed, spring, the Lot

Yesterday I spent a nice chunk of the afternoon cutting back dead plant bits leftover from last growing season. As I worked on garden squats (yeah, the backside is burning today) and happily clipped away, I caught glimpses of plants emerging from the ground. It’s fun because you are busy clearing away hollowed stalks and crackling leaves when your fingers brush again something alive. While the Other Half and I have been cooped up inside bemoaning the fact Spring cannot arrive soon enough, these plants have been stirring. They’ve already begun their move toward the surface of the soil seeking sunlight.

So, I thought it would be fun to make a psuedo-First-Day-of-Spring (it was yesterday) post with photos of the first arriving plants on the Lot. This first grouping is of some Spring bulbs. Winter aconite and snowdrops have been open on the Lot for a few weeks now, but the tulips, daffodils, and remaining bulbs are queuing up in the wings.

Species Tulips Daffodil and Tulip Foilage Emerging Spring Bulb

In the South bed, sedum is already growing, as well as the bearded iris, bee balm, and coneflowers.

Emerging Sedum Emerging Iris Emerging Bee Balm Emerging Coneflower

Along the east bed, lady’s mantle and columbine are fanning out new growth.

Emerging Ladys Mantle Emerging Columbine

In the backyard along the fence bed, the tall garden flox is well on its way. The dwarf iris rhizomes are sprouting leaves and two poppies are racing ahead. Loosestrife is appearing as red spear-like columns.

032016_fdosPhlox 032016_fdosMiniIris 032016_fdosPoppyLoosestrife

Near the rain barrels, the snakeroot and brunnera are just emerging. The snakeroot seems to be pushing up a fiddle-head like shoot to break the soil surface.

Emerging Snakeroot Emerging Brunerra

In the backyard bed, the Himalayan cinquefoil has been well on its way for awhile now. There are little bits of frost bite around the edges of the leaves.

Emerging Cinquefoil

The weather forecast for the upcoming week is a bit more on the chilly side, with chances of frost during the evening. Because of this I left the layer of dead leaves the plants have been growing beneath. So begins my Spring routine of a quick, daily stroll about the Lot to check on the progress of the plants.