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In the Garden

May 8, 2010 By Rhoda 33 Comments

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First things first!  The Initials, Inc. giveaway winner is Mary from Megardengal.  Congrats, Mary on your win.  I’ll put you in touch with Ivy to claim your fab prize.  I know LOTS of you wanted to win and I wish we had more to give out, but I hope that you’ll check out Initials, Inc. for some gift ideas.

I’m heading over to Atlanta this weekend to spend Mother’s Day with my mom and family.  I hope each and every one of you enjoy this Mother’s Day too. Today, we’ll take a peek at what’s blooming in my yard right now.  I get excited every Spring to see how things pop up in the yard and take off growing and blooming.  It never gets old.

This year’s garden is looking better than ever.  Hubby plants the veggies.  I plant the flowers and we’re both happier for it.

Welcome to the backyard!

I thought it would be fun to pull out pics from 4 years ago when I first planted this bed at the top of our driveway.  It was all grass and after we moved in, I got out here and dug all the grass out and planted a perennial bed.  I planted several things in there and most of it didn’t make it, but the one thing that did has practically taken over the bed. Luckily, I made a good choice with the bones of the bed.  See those little shrubs at the back by the fence that are limey green?  Those are Spirea and are a great little shrub.

Well, not so little anymore, you can see that they’ve practically taken over this bed.  Which is fine by me.  It hasn’t stayed all neat and tidy like the first pic, I’ve had the hardest time keeping the grass out that was there originally. It’s a never-ending battle.

I’ve added some other perennials in here too, but gardening is always trial and error for me.  Those purple sages have done well and I just planted them last year.  I’ve got a few spots to fill in, but I’m hoping that one day this bed will just be all filled in with no dirt showing.


Here’s what the spirea looks like up close.  Lime green foliage with soft pink blooms.  I don’t remember what variety this is, but I think it’s Goldmound.  You can’t go wrong with Spirea.

I love planting my hanging baskets every year and these wave petunias do a good job of blooming nonstop.  I like good performers that I don’t have to baby.

Iron basket planted with a few annuals and my yardsale find birdbath from last year.

This iron basket has a few annuals and hopefully they will take off and grow nicely.

Here’s that sage up close, it’s done really well, with Dianthus in the foreground.

Sage again

Another basket with asparagus fern and more wave petunias.

BEFORE:

This front bed of ours was a real eyesore when we moved in. I couldn’t stand all these old boxwoods and really would have preferred to take more of them out, but settled for ripping out this corner and replanting it, along with adding a little stone wall, that I built myself the first year we were here.  I love doing projects outside too!

Here’s the wall one year after it was planted.

And here is that same area now, 4 years later.

Big difference!  it’s been fun seeing this bed grow.

These Knockout roses are the best! If you haven’t tried them yet, they are pretty much foolproof and bloom like crazy all summer long.  Well, the first bloom is the best, but they will keep blooming. I just put in a Double Pink one in a spot too.

Cute Mr. Bunny.

Yardsale armillary is in this bed.

Concrete oblisk.

This bed has grown and done really well  and when I look back at the old pics, I can really appreciate the progress.  These are Japanese Dwarf Mock Orange and they’ve spread out so much.

Close-up of the double red Knock-out roses.


BEFORE: This is the small little bed next to our back gate and this is the first year planting of an Endless Summer hydrangea, with 2 hosta in front.   So cute and compact, huh?!

Not so much!  Here are those same plants this year.  That Endless Summer hydrangea has spread out and seems to love this spot and will be blooming profusely very shortly.  I’ll be sure and take more pics of it then.  It looks like it’s sitting on top of the hostas now. 🙂

The blooms are abundant and it will be a gorgeous shade of blue.

This year, I’ve added double New Guinea impatience to the front of the bed, so I hope it does well for me.

So, that’s my garden this year. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Do you have a flower garden too and do you enjoy digging in the dirt? I’ve got more plans, so let’s see if I can get to some of them this year. I did plant a new pink peony this year too that I got at our Botanical Gardens annual sale and can’t wait to see what it does.

I’ll also be updating you on Peter’s garden. He has really gone crazy this year, planting all sorts of veggies, so we should be bustin’ out with lots of green beans and tomatoes very soon.

I’ll share all of that soon. He doesn’t let the fact that we live in a suburban neighborhood stop him at all and he’s got beans in the front yard, same as last year, climbing up some fencing. Nope, I’m not even kidding. 🙂

I’m at my mom’s for Mother’s Day this weekend, but will have Thrifty Treasures up at the usual time on Sunday night!

My friend, Kim from Daisy Cottage shared some absolutely delightful pics of Savannah last week. Check them out if you love that city or think you might want to visit.  Such a charming Southern city!

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Filed Under: Gardens and Flowers 33 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anita says

    May 8, 2010 at 6:11 am

    Wow, beautiful garden Rhoda! It really has grown. I love your yard art too! Especially the armillary. I would like to do the same and remove some bushes so I can plant more flowers! Have a wonderful day with your mom!

    Reply
  2. Lisa says

    May 8, 2010 at 6:29 am

    Wow…how beautiful! I am in awe! The flowers are gorgeous and I love all the little accessories you used to spice it up!

    Reply
  3. Laura @ PARING DOWN says

    May 8, 2010 at 6:32 am

    Hey, Girl.

    We have a lot of the same taste in the garden. I have two spirea in my front bed, 3 knock-out roses, and hot-lips (love the name) sage, too. LOVE the color you put in instead of the boring boxwoods.

    Happy Saturday!
    Laura

    Reply
  4. flick says

    May 8, 2010 at 6:56 am

    Wow, you have so much amazing colour there! Great job with all your plant choices too, they all look great togather and seem to be thriving for you. I love your ‘before’ and ‘after’s… they really show how much your lovely garden has changed. It’s so rewarding to see all your hard work pay off isn’t it? I live in a very coastal area, and it is so tricky to find plants that are happy to flower here, so I have a lot of different foliage plants for colour… oh how I love hydrangeas though!! Have a fab Mother’s Day..
    🙂 Flick

    Reply
  5. Niece says

    May 8, 2010 at 7:27 am

    Rhoda……I love spirea’s, I have a large one in one of my beds and it is such a fun easy bloomer! They can even handle the hard cold winters of Northern Indiana. FYI…..I cut mine back after it’s first flush (bloom) and get another flush for the season! Love your flowerbed!

    Reply
  6. rosie says

    May 8, 2010 at 7:36 am

    Beautiful garden make-overs! I can just imagine coming into the driveway and being greeted home by all those roses! Thanks for sharing.
    rosie

    Reply
  7. Sylvia says

    May 8, 2010 at 7:51 am

    Beautiful gardens and it’s obvious so much love and hard work went into make them possible.
    Enjoy the weekend.

    Reply
  8. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    May 8, 2010 at 7:54 am

    I agree, Rhoda, spirea fills in the WHOLE area! It is a beautiful bush though {I have the same as you}, but what you think is nice mounds, then grows bigger and bigger. I may try the shepherds hook with a hanging basket in my front yard this year. I definitely want a variety of height and right now I have low, little stuff. I have stopped buying bushes or perennials that get out of control after a few years {I just don’t have the energy for that stuff anymore}.

    Reply
  9. sara says

    May 8, 2010 at 8:01 am

    great garden! i love gardening too! so rewarding!

    Reply
  10. tami says

    May 8, 2010 at 8:05 am

    I love your garden it soo pretty! I have to get outside and garden myself!

    Reply
  11. Pam says

    May 8, 2010 at 8:28 am

    SO pretty…lots of work went into that. Enjoy it always

    Reply
  12. Marty@A Stroll thru Life says

    May 8, 2010 at 9:17 am

    Your garden and all of your flowers and shrubs are just gorgeous. So pretty. Love the planters you have hanging on the fence. Everything looks wonderful. Have a Happy Mother’s Day. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  13. Linh C says

    May 8, 2010 at 9:31 am

    LOVELY gardens!

    We love knockout roses too. We put in two last year and they’re blooming like crazy, so hubby and I just bought two more to put in another place in our gardens. I wanted the double yellow knockout roses, but Home Depot doesn’t carry them. Hubby refuses to buy plants at real nurseries! Oh well, I’m sure I’ll like these roses once they get bigger and have lots of blooms. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Teresa says

    May 8, 2010 at 10:39 am

    Gorgeous pictures…..Stopping by to say Happy Mother’s Day…
    Have a few hours to blog hop and nothing makes me happier.
    I have a GREAT GIVEAWAY that I will be drawing for on Sunday night.

    http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  15. Cindy S says

    May 8, 2010 at 10:48 am

    Hello dear Rhoda,
    Your garden is beautiful, they are a lot of work, but the satisfaction that is gained from their beauty make it SO worthwhile.
    I wrote down the name of some of the plants that worked for you, I’m hoping they work here.
    Have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
    Hugs, Cindy S

    Reply
  16. Vivian says

    May 8, 2010 at 11:05 am

    You’re garden is a beautiful welcome to your home. It will be all filled in before you know it.

    Reply
  17. Funky Junk Interiors says

    May 8, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    So beautiful, Rhoda! And your whimsical touches add so much personal charm. Love the bunny. 🙂

    Sigh… I need to get out and do something pretty with my yard. I power raked yesterday… NOT so pretty. LOL

    Donna
    http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  18. Melanie Redd says

    May 8, 2010 at 12:54 pm

    Rhoda,

    Thanks for sharing your garden! It’s beautiful!

    Blessings,
    Melanie

    Reply
  19. Kathy :) says

    May 8, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    Please say Happy Mother’s Day to your Mum and to Peter’s Grandma Eleanor !!!!

    Your plants look amazing….I remember when you first planted everything has it been that long !!!!! this year FOR SURE I am going to put in the Knockout roses….love them….

    All the best friend….

    xo Kathy 🙂

    Reply
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me?

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