It's been a while since I've done one of these posts. I bet you thought I ran out of ugliness to show you.
Hahahahahaha! No chance. Feast your eyes on this mess.
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| Mess of weeds and shade-loving plants under an oak tree in my front garden |
I've been pretty busy trying to catch up with cutting back last winter's dead stuff and pulling two-foot-tall weeds, I just haven't been paying much attention to this weed-choked corner of my front garden. But it needs help. There are actually some choice plants hiding in there.
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| 'Sunset Shades' Primulas and Epimedium x warleyense 'Orange Queen' |
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| Lots more 'Sunset Shades' Primulas, in a nice deep shade of red, that I could probably transplant into the back garden to my Ruby Red Death Bed |
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| This swath of self-sown Primulas in every shade of sunset |
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| A sort of antique rose pink |
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| Yellow, red and orange |
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| Primula kisoana next to Hepatica foliage |
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| I think this is Epimedium fargesii from Windcliff |
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| Nice bristly leaves |
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| Unusual, elegant lilac purple flowers |
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| Primula auricula (I think) with its succulent-like foliage |
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| Sinopodophyllum hexandrum coming up amidst self-sown Primulas |
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| A nice Podophyllum pleianthum that needs to be rescued from being smothered by dandelions |
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| Dicentra 'Valentine' that sowed itself into the path and needs to be saved from trampling |
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| Embothrium coccineum in too much shade that leans over precariously, but will it survive an attempt to transplant it to a better spot? |
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| Fatsia polycarpa, not exactly thriving amongst the weeds and lean soil |
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| It does produce new growth every year, but it looks pretty spindly |
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| Another variegated Fatsia amongst a pile of weeds |
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| I don't know if you can see the tall leader that this Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' has produced, but it needs pruning, and maybe more sun and richer soil, because it never flowers |
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| This variegated Hydrangea has never thrived here either, and clashes with the variegated Fatsia |
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| This Corylopsis has pretty new growth, but has a very gangly appearance and has never flowered |
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| Keep it? Move it? |
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| Another Dicentra 'Valentine' competing with an enormous crop of weeds |
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| Magnolia laevifolia blooms and seems to be doing ok, but it is surrounded by a mass of weeds |
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| Diphylleia cymosa amongst the weeds |
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| There's a small clump of the fuzzy Syneilesis (aconitifolia?) |
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| I think this is Trillium kurabayashi, although it's very small, probably because the soil is not rich enough |
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| Oh, what are you called? This plant does well, but that foliage is supposed to turn reddish in the fall and it never does, it just stays green and then turns to mush at first frost |
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| Trillium luteum |
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| Tiny, sickly Podophyllum that was planted at the same time as the big healthy clump shown earlier, but has failed to thrive |
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| In another area is the more smooth stemmed Syneilesis (palmata?) |
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| Astilboides rising out of a cloud of Primulas |
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| A Euphorbia rigida that sowed itself -- the original died and this one is in a much more inconvenient spot |
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| Baby Primulas |
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| Dandelions gone to seed |
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| Dandelions and ragweed at the base of the Magnolia laevifolia |
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| There is supposed to be a path here, but it's really nothing but weeds |
This chaotic mess desperately needs help. When will I get to it? Who knows? I know the solution is probably to pull everything out and coddle them in pots for a while while I sort out the weeds and beef up the soil. But this bed needs to get in line behind all the other projects competing for my time and energy.
Do you have an ugly spot in your garden to show us? We all know you have them. I get so fed up with seeing perfect gardens everywhere I look on social media. Tell us the truth about your garden and its problem areas.
