My Compost Plans

I want to put a compost pile in the back yard where the doghouse used to be. I'm planning to dismantle the concrete blocks on this raised bed and use them to enclose the compost pile.

That plant in front is a Shasta daisy. I might keep it, I'm not sure. When we first bought the house, this little bed was a mess, full of weeds and dotted haphazardly with Johnny jump-ups. I just think it looks rather odd sitting there, it seems to have no relation with anything else in the front yard. So my plans are to move the concrete blocks into the back yard and then extend this bed so that it joins the shrub/tree bed right next to it. I have a honeysuckle that I got at the spring swap that I want to plant here. I also recently ordered some native shrub seedlings from the Pierce County Conservation Commission and my plan is to put some of them in here as well.

Here's what I ordered:

Viburnum trilobum (American cranberry)

Ribes sanguineum (Red flowering currant, I've heard it is a hummingbird attractor)

Cornus stolonifera (Red Osier dogwood)

Physocarpus capitata (Ninebark)

Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry)

Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen huckleberry)

Arctostaphyllus uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick, also called manzanita)

Lonicera involucrata (Twinberry)

They won't all go in there of course. I want to start a bird bed in the back yard.

Umm...you may have noticed a preference for red in this and previous posts. I think I may have been a hummingbird in a previous life. Too bad I don't also have the hummingbird's metabolism.

More Pictures

There's a mixed shrub and tree bed along the right hand side of the front yard. I took some pictures before I started planting, about a month ago, before the leaves started turning.

Before:

After (facing the opposite direction):

As you can see, the leaves are falling. Besides those plants from Santa Rosa and Bluestone, there are some Hellebores that I bought at a local nursery, and some swap plants -- a Heuchera Purple Palace, a Corydalis lutea, a Clematis tubulosa (a bush-type Clem), and an unnamed Aquilegia. At the back on the left there is also a Hedychium (butterfly ginger) that I got at the spring swap. I think it will have white flowers, but I'm not positive. We'll see next year.

Further down that same bed, closer to the street, I planted the grasses, which prefer more sun, and the blackberry lilies, which will have orange flowers that I hope will complement the bronzey grasses.

At the very front, near the street under the cherry tree I planted the Baptisias (blue and white) and the Pardon Me daylilies.

My legs and back are aching!

Procrastination

I've been taking pictures with all good intentions of keeping up my blogging, but every time I sit down to blog I put it off for a mythical "better time."

After I planted all the stuff in my previous post, I took some pictures.

Here's the front foundation bed. Along with the plants from Santa Rosa are a handful of black mondo grass offsets, culled from the rental house (Shh -- don't tell anyone!)  Let's see if I can remember what I planted here.
Salvia Purple Knockout
Sedum sieboldii
Sedum Fireglow
Sempervivum (aka Hens & Chicks)
Hibiscus moscheutos Luna Pink Swirl
Phlox subulata Scarlet Flame

Also in this bed I planted a red grass that is hardy only to Zone 8. Our new house is in Zone 7 because it's up on a ridge, surrounded by lowlands that are Zone 8. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. The grass is called Pennisetum setaceum rubrum Fireworks. It's planted with a green and white grass and a hardy Geranium. I got both at a plant swap this spring, so of course I have no idea of their names.

Also in this bed at the back: Pennisetum Karley Rose and Crocosmia Lucifer.

Bought But Not Planted Yet

From local nurseries:
Berberis Helmond Pillar
Weigela Wine & Roses
Forsythia Fiesta

From Bluestone:
3 GERANIUM Dilys          
3 GERANIUM Dalmaticum          
3 GERANIUM Biokovo Karmina    

Planted in the Past Two Weeks

From Bluestone Perennials
1 GERANIUM phaeum Samobor       
3 GERANIUM Wargrave Pink        
3 GERANIUM Mac.Bevan's Variety    
1 GERANIUM Cheryl's Shadow     
3 GERANIUM Biokovo      

From Santa Rosa Gardens
Agastache rugosa Tutti Frutti 2
Aquilegia Clementine Red 2
Armeria maritima Splendens 2
Astilbe arendsii Fanal 2
Belamcanda chinensis Freckle Face 2
Baptisia australis 4
Baptisia alba 2
Carex berggrenii 2
Carex flagellifera Toffee Twist 2
Carex tenuiculmis Cappuccino 4
Crocosmia Lucifer 3
Gaura Bijou Butterflies 2
Hemerocallis Pardon Me 4
Heuchera Melting Fire 2
Heuchera Miracle 2
Heuchera Stormy Seas 2
Hibiscus moscheutos Luna Pink Swirl 2
Hosta Twilight 2
Hydrangea Pia 2
Lobelia cardinalis 4
Miscanthus sinensis Little Kitten 2   
Monarda didyma Jacob Cline 2   
Pennisetum orientale Karley Rose 4   
Phlox paniculata Starfire 1   
Phlox subulata Scarlet Flame 2   
Salvia lyrata Purple Knockout 2   
Sedum Fireglow 2   
Sedum Postman's Pride 1   
Sedum sieboldii 2   
Sedum Tricolor 2   
Sempervivum Black 12   
Stokesia laevis Mary Gregory 1