Goldsturm Rudebackia

Rose garden

The white alyssum and roses really make the bird statue "pop".

One of my favorite combinations - pink roses and annual blue salvia.

Hydrangeas in bloom

The hydrangeas in the front border are blooming - too bad the deer have been munching on some of the blossoms, although they still look pretty.

Tri-color sage

I added some tri-color sage to my annual border this spring.  Doesn't it look great with the annual salvia?

Ready for planting

The brick border is done, as are the rock retaining walls - this area is ready for planting!  At the bottom is a Creme Brulee coreopsis and leadwort.  My North Star cherry is going to move from the front garden to the large area at the top.  I'm also going to move in some creeping phlox and a perennial geranium. 

Rocks along the path

When I'm not working in my gardens, I am reading landscape and garden design books.  One author that I have learned a lot from is Gordon Hayward.  His focus is ensuring that all elements in the landscape relate to one another and have a purpose.  He wrote about placing a boulder in the inside curve of a path, so that there is a reason for the path to curve.  While this part of the border looked good before, the addition of the rocks makes it look even better! 

Hey, Bob and Diane - a few of the rocks we bought from you have found new homes.  Now, to use up the other 197 or so .........

Secret garden...more progress

I changed some of the shrubs - took out the two dogwoods and replaced them with two cotoneasters.  The deer won't eat them!
The post will hold a birdhouse - It is the same aqua color as the adirondack chair.

The post will hold a birdhouse - It is the same aqua color as the adirondack chair.

I also added some interesting spireas - Ogon. Their bright yellow foliage and whispy texture will look great with the dark green leaves of the cotoneasters. These are zone 5 shrubs, so I will add some extra mulch before winter.

I've removed most of the sod from the area near the retaining wall and added a couple of small rock walls. The slope of the soil at the bottom was much greater than what I thought - I'm still thinking about how to shape the bed in order to avoid the soil washing out.....

Progress on the Secret Garden

The end of the path is ready for mulch!  And I've got the circular border of bricks laid.  Soon I will be able to get the mulch laid around the shrubs.

I'm noticing that the deer have been sampling the shrubs - the tiger eye sumacs and the dogwoods.  ARGGGGG!!  It is never fun to try to keep the deer away.  I might have to replace those shrubs with something the deer won't enjoy.