Taking Control Sort Of

There is a notion in my head that the bed off the front porch of the cozy cabin will be civilized one day. I am just going about it the hard way. Plant first - directly into the wild Lush mind you - design second. Mulch when ever. I won't be surprised if some things get moved down the road.

Let's have a look shall we. The pictures of the front  porch bed will sequence from left to right.

In this first part there are daffodils, muscari, bulbocodium and crocus for spring. This is followed by blue and white salvias, pink allium and pink veronica and the newly added lavender scabiosa. Plus a few wild things.

After getting freezer burn, the Kousa Dogwood has put out a very nice flush of new growth. It is looking most happy. A Lychnis is to the left. Orange daylilies are to the right. Plus a few wild things.

In the center section and headed out to the point are three fothergilla babies, three Eryngium yuccifolium, a couple hibiscus, a purple dahlia and a Thermopsis caroliniana. Plus a few wild things. Snowdrops and Lycoris bulbs (if they survived) are hiding in there too.

Back up towards the porch are three Gold Thread Chamaecyparis of unknown mature heights. Plus a few wild things.

I got in there and weeded out the tall fescue grass I seeded many years ago to help hold the hillside for a third time. I keep trying to kill them in place and they kept living. With a high of 96 today and no rain for a week the soil was dust. Hopefully the blazing sun, heat and drought has finally done this grass in. There are better weeds than tall fescue. I have been finding plenty baby eryngiums and daylilies and my preferred tall weed is the Blue Wood Aster and a couple of the Goldenrod species. Boneset and Joe Pye are nice tall weeds too.

My wild things do stuff like this. That is why I have troubles with wholesale slaughter of the Lush just so I can have a blank slate for planting. So I end up doing things the hard way.

These weeds, this place, have caused some form of horticultural madness.

I don't think it was this record setting heat causing garden madness. It has been going on too long. 96 is the hottest it has ever been on this mountain since I have been here. I slept through the 92 to 96 range and came back out at 92. Lucky we had a brief afternoon shower that cooled things down fast.