With the help of my master gardener SIL, I have gotten my beds planted. Here is a pic of where I started, with front beds with nothing but nandina and grossly overgrown (and incredibly woody) azaleas.
I removed the azaleas, but kept the nandinas for now (my SIL says they provide a background and they are healthy and not taking over). I replaced them with dwarf Buford Holly. I widened the front beds and extended them around to both sides of the house.
On the left side of the house, dwarf boxwood will eventually hide the foundation. Eventually I will pull that bed out and plant some stuff in front, but I was getting overwhelmed. :-)
Farther up towards the front, in the sunniest corner, I have bee balm, spirea, cardinal flower, speedwell, rosemary, lavender, stonecrop, and some of my MANY (too many!) irises. (Also another nandina, which, like the others, was there when I moved in 17.5 years ago!) My SIL recommended that I just get what I like and next year, I can move things, discard things that didn't do well, add more of what I am sure I like, etc.
A closeup of the little rock "wall" I made for the stonecrop someone gave me.
The lefthand front bed gets some sun and houses, for now, dwarf phlox, moneyplant, and hellebores (the latter 2 from my SIL's garden). And, of course, the holly and evil nandinas. :-)
The righthand bed has more hellebores, and some gooseneck loosestrife from my SIL, as well as goldenstar, catmint, and astilbe. There is a hosta "Guacamole," which supposedly is happy in partial sun. We shall see!
Around the right corner of the house is the shade garden. Parts of it get a little more sun than others. In those areas I put hosta "Stained Glass," which supposedly can take a little sun, and the catmint and Coral Bells Heuchera around the bird bath. There are two other hostas (Empress Wu-Wu and Wu-Wu-La
), two ferns, and some sweet woodruff. There is also some arum italicum from my SIL which has been trying to die for months--I don't know what its problem is and I'm about to pitch it!
WHEW! All in all I am pleased. I learned, b/c they drooped and then perked up w/in 10 min when I watered them, that astilbe REALLY want a lot of water. And I'm sure they will tell me lots more things as the months go on. I am enjoying seeing the beginnings of blossoms on the speedwell, astilbe, Wu-Wu-La, and phlox, and will take more pix as we proceed.
It was an UNGODLY amount of work, which I never could have embarked on but for COVID (saving 2 hours a day on my commute has been a real game-changer!), but so far, it is worth it!
