A Look at the Front Garden

The Front Garden wraps around the lawn in front of our house and is a source of pleasure whenever I look out the windows.

Here are a few recent images of this area:

We haven't had rain for many days now. I have been hoping for a thunderstorm, but no luck. The above watering can is well used!

Japanese maples provide texture and color contrast to all the green. The following Japanese maple grows in front of our dining room window. It was an unnamed seedling, only a few inches tall when I planted it about twenty years ago. All of my Japanese maples were tiny when I planted them, because I never had the budget for more mature specimens. My patience has paid off!

The leaves on this tree are technicolored. Here is a close-up look at some of them, all recently photographed from the same tree:

Some colorful plants grow next to the parking court out front. When I first began my garden I envisioned  pastel washes of color here. I soon learned that pale tender blooms have no hope under the white hot summer sun. Brazen beauties with flashy colors stand up to the heat better. Tropicana Canna Lily in the first photo below is a good example. Soon it will bear torches of bright orange flowers. In the second row are 'Stella D'Oro' daylily, autumn sage and a purple allium. The alliums have not done well, having weak stems and puny blossoms. I will give them another year. The artemesias in the lower photos do add a cooler touch. The gold variegated artemesia 'Oriental Limelight' is an agressive spreader.  I have planted it in a pot buried in the ground to keep it within bounds..

The garden is a haven for many  creatures.

You may have seen the lizard above in my post, A Snowy Monster and Other Things in My Garden. I think he likes summer better, but with the triple digit temperatures we have been having, I would appreciate a dusting of snow!

The Lady's Green Room

The Lady is surrounded by leafy splendor in her garden room. There are walls of verdant trees, and, overhead, foliage arches across the ceiling.

Of all my garden spaces, the Lady Garden is becoming my favorite. The arbor swing has a great view of the hydrangea walk and is up close to bird and other wild life activity. I like to watch the trees and listen to the sounds in the garden. Squirrels play, and the gentle tunes of wind chimes mingle with bird song. It is a peaceful place that Lou and I both enjoy.

Most of the planting beds feature hostas. They are well suited to the filtered sunlight this area receives. As June begins, they are growing full and I love their colors and textures:Clockwise from upper left: Francis Williams; Sum and Substance; Whirlwind; Big DaddyAnd here is a birds nest fern, an indoor plant spending the summer outdoors. As long as I keep it watered it likes the subtropical temperatures.

While green predominates, as it usually does in my part of the world in summer, there are some colorful red accents:

And a few other things which add some interest:

The Lady Garden, 2011, is still immature. I am waiting for ground covers to cover the dirt floors. Boxwood and tea olives have yet to grow together to form hedges which will delineate two sides. I am still tweaking the stone paths. The planting beds need lots more plants! Meanwhile, garden ornaments, colorful pots, and temporary plants help to fill in. But things are growing, and it is beginning to feel like a real outdoor room.