carolina garden in progress

{festival grass}

2009-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

it began unintentionally but the area in our front yard has kind of become the "purple zone". in this photo you can see that the phlox looked very pretty in april. a little later (probably early may), the purple dianthus were blooming nicely as well. this area is also where the purple irises are.

we always plant some type of purple decorative grass. this year matt purchased "festival grass", which looks similar to what we had last year, so it might be the same thing.

"Festival Grass is a compact, clump-forming Cordyline, with shiny ruby/burgundy strappy foliage that cascades into a round ball shape. It has large sprays of fragrant small, showy, star-shaped blush pink flowers in late spring and summer. Festival Grass is ideal planted either singly in pots or as a stunning color highlight with other plants in gardens and landscapes."

details: low water use, compact 3'x3', container or garden, easy to grow, full sun to part shade, grows well in most soil types, needs to be protected from severe frosts.

Details:

full sun to part shade
compact 3'x3'
grows well in most soil types
use slow release fertilizer in spring
protect from severe frosts
low water usage
container or garden
easy to grow

{new palms}

2009-05-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

last year we had ferns in these urns and i was perfectly content with doing that again this year. however, matt got obsessed over finding some palms to use instead. i wasn't pleased with the hefty price tag ($30 each), but whatever! they are cute. i wish they were a little larger. they will supposedly live year after year as long as we bring them indoors (what?????). again...whatever. i guess this is matt's pet project :) they are called "palm king sago" or "cycas revoluta". they are very slow growing (and i'm not a patient person). take full sun and can take temperatures from 15 to 100 degrees (makes me wonder why we have to bring them indoors - it never gets below 15 degrees here).

{new japanese maple}

2009-05-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

this japanese maple was actually a father's day gift last year, so it was planted in june of 2008. i just never posted it here. it's in our front yard. i was a bit worried about it for a while but it looks nice and healthy now (just small). photo was taken in april.

{iris update}

2009-05-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

every year i say i'm going to separate the iris bulbs. and every year, i don't. anyway, they are still doing pretty well with some very pretty purple blooms in the spring. i'm sure they'd do much better if i actually did separate them.

{hanging baskets of petunias}

2009-05-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

matt was making a trip to the nursery so i asked him to get me some hanging baskets with red flowers. he brought back two baskets full of red petunias. i transferred them to our iron hanging baskets. they were planted in late april or early may (??). they are doing well as long as they get plenty of water when it's super sunny.

{wildflower garden}

2008-06-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Since we've moved into this house, I've wanted to create a "wildflower garden". When we sodded the back yard, we even left this spot open. I purchased the border I wanted to use last year as well. Finally, in early June 2008, Matt brought in some soil for me and it began. I used a wide variety of seeds that I had on hand. The bulk was an annual variety and a butterfly/hummingbird variety, but I also planted some old seed packets (Coreopsis, Sunflower, Hollyhock, Jasione, Wild Flax, Asclepias, Columbine and a few wildflower mixes). Now, we just water and wait...

6.4.2008 - Scattered variety of seeds in soil. Raked & Watered.

9.17.2008 - Unfortunately this did not take at all. I had about 3 blooms. I give up :) I will just plant a regular garden here next year!

{phlox, dianthus, verbena, purple hearts

2008-06-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

This picture contains several different plant/flowers...

Plant: Creeping Phlox - Emerald Blue (flox trepadora) front left of photo
Purchased at: Home Depot
Planted: March 25, 2007 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Sun - Perennial - Height 4-6" - Spring Blooms - Width 12-18" - Hardy to -40

Notes:
9.2007 - both looked dead
6.8.2008 - two were planted in 2007, only came back this year. Was full of blooms but they have faded away with the high summer heat

Plant: Dianthus - Supra Purple
Planted: 2006 - originally in pot on front porch; moved to front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Attracts Butterflies - Sun or Part Sun - Height 12"

Notes:
Spring 2006 - Flowers looked good and then all the blooms died
9.2006 - Blooms returned and has continued to do well
10.2006 - Began to die off with cooler weather
3.2007 - Left this outside all winter in a pot from 2006. It actually grew and has a few blooms
9.2007 - After a lot of blooming, the flowers weren't looking great. I planted them in the ground just to see what would happen. One actually bloomed.
6.8.2008 - Surprisingly, one of these plants surived (top right of photo - tall plant near irises). Earlier it was FULL of blooms and the plant got very large

Plant: Verbena - Ron Deal
Purchased at: Lowe's
Planted: Spring 2006 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Full Sun - Blooms Summer to Fall - Spreading Habit - Hardy to 10 - Attracts Butterflies - Remove spent flowers - Fertilize in Summer -

Notes:
Summer 2006 - After purchasing, split into two. Neither did well and I threw one away. I planted the other in the ground and surprisingly it recovered. Bloomed again in June after a hardy rain.
9.2006 - Still blooming but not spreading much
3.2007 - green starting to peek through from last year
9.2007 - Got large, very pretty with a lot of purple blooms
6.8.2008 - Bloomed nicely earlier, but is starting to fade now

Plant: Purple Hearts
Planted: June 2006 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008

Notes:
6.2006 - Doing well, saw first blooms
7.2006 - Growing and doing well
9.2006 - Doing great - large, but hidden by another plant
3.2007 - Just starting to peek through
9.2007 - Both came back and pretty well. Plant on the left got larger, possibly too much shade on the right plant from the irises
6.8.08 - Both came back once again. One plant is still larger than the other.

{dahlia}

2008-06-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Plant: Dahlia - Figaro Mix
Planted: Summer 2007 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Sun or Part Sun - Spacing 12" - Height 11-12"

Notes
6.8.08 - Five were planted in 2007, but only 2 came back this year. One is very full of blooms right now. The other is full of buds, almost ready to bloom.

9.17.08 - These are miracle plants. I have to get more of these next year. They are so low maintenance and have gorgeous blooms all summer!

{purity candytuft}

2008-06-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

One of the few plants that survived from last year. We had planted two, but only one came back this year.

Plant: Purity Candytuft
Purchased from: Home Depot
Planted: March 25, 2007 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Full Sun - Height 8" - Width 16" - hardy to -30 - Spring blooms - Perennial

Notes
9.2007 - They didn't look very heathly and never got very big. Two plants.
6.8.08 - One of the plants came back this spring. It was full of white blooms for a while, but they have since died off.

{taro}

2008-06-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Matt took a liking to this and also used it as a replacement for the fountain grass. I planted it in a gap between two sections of irises.

Plant: Taro (colocasia esculenta - "Jet Black Wonder"
Purchased at: Wilson's
Planted: May 26, 2008 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Foliage plant - Sun or Partial Shade - Height 3-4' - Aquatic - Hardy to 10 - Prefers consistent soil moisture

{decorative grass}

2008-06-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

For the past several years, we've planted Purple Fountain Grass. However, this year Matt changed it up a bit. He stuck with purple, but chose a different type of decorative plant. Unfortunately, we don't know the name or have any information on it.

Purchased at: Wilson's
Planted: May 26, 2008 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Planting Notes: Planted in existing hole from last year's fountain grass.

9.17.08 - This has done really well. It's gotten pretty large, particularly in the late summer. This could be due to having more rain. It'll be interesting to see if it's a perrenial since we don't know much about it.

{achillea & vinca vine}

2008-06-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Plant: Strawberry Seduction Achillea

Purchased from: Home Depot

Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch

Photo Taken: June 6, 2008

Details given at Purchase: Perennial - Full Sun - Summer Blooms - Height 18-20" - Width 18" - Hardy to -30 - Attractive to Butterflies

Plant: Vinca Vine (vinca major)
Purchased at: Home Depot
Planted: May 16, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Planting Notes: Added two small plants to the pot with petunias
Details provided upon purchase: Full Sun - Spacing 10-15" - Size 4-12" - Medium Watering - Hardy to 45 - trailing stems - flowering groundcover

Planting Notes: three small plants added to pot with achillea, planted a few inches apart

Notes:

6.8.08 - plants were not in bloom at time of purchase, but are starting to get some color. Vine is growing, but at a slower pace than the ivy in other pots.

9.17.08 - the flowers did OK, but they aren't very colorful when in bloom (the color is all right on top). I don't think I'd purchase these again. They do have a neat texture though. The vinca vine did fine but didn't grow as long as I've experienced in the past.

{gerbera daisy & english ivy}

2008-06-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

I get a Gerber Daisy every year. I absolutely love them. This year I chose red, though this picture isn't very good. I wish I'd taken it a little early. At one point there were several big, bright blooms.

Plant: Gerbera Daisy - Margarita Gerbera
Purchased from: Home Depot
Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given at purchase: Full Sun - Spacing 8" - Height 6-18" - Water Moderate - Annual
Planting Notes: Add English Ivy in same pot

Plant: English Ivy (hedera helix)
Purchased at: Home Depot
Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Planting Notes: Added two small plants to a pot with gerber daisies, spread a few inches apart.
Details provided upon purchase: Hardy, easy-to-grow house plant with dark green leaves, pinch back to promote fullness; Full Sun - Spacing 12-18" - Size 6-12" - Low Watering - Hardy to -25

Notes:
6.8.08 - After having a few very bright blooms, this last survivor (in photo) is starting to fade.
9.17.08 - Ivy has done well. The daisies went through a rough spot but came back strong and are in full bloom again.

{sunpatiens}

2008-06-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Every year I try to do something a little different in these hanging baskets.

Plant: "SunPatiens" these are supposed to be impatiens that can survive in full sun
Purchased at: Home Depot
Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Details given upon purchase: none
Planting notes: removed from hanging container, removed large portion of root ball and placed in hanging baskets

Notes:
6.8.08 - Require a ton of water. Even at twice a day, they still get very wilty. They still have managed to develop additional blooms. I'm not sure if are getting too much sun, or if the drainage is just too quick on the baskets.

9.17.08 - Definitely won't get these again (at least not for hanging baskets). They are just too needy for this super sunny spot. If I weren't so lazy, I would've bought new plants to replace these, but luckily my dear husband has been great about watering them daily.

{ligustrum & loropetalum}

2008-06-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Over the two years that we've lived here, we gradually lost the bushes planted by the builder. The few remaining ones were wiped out by the drought at the end of last summer. Given they weren't great to begin with, it wasn't such a bad thing. So, this year we had to start fresh with some "foundation" bushes. It took us a long time to decide, but this is what we chose. The purple ones are hard to see against the black mulch but I'm hoping as both types grow, they will show up better against the light green bushes.

Plant: Varigated Ligustrum

Purchased from: Wilson's

Planted: May 26, 2008 - front yard
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008

Details given at purchase: 10-12' tall; 5-6' wide; Evergreen; Sun

Plant: Loropetalum

Purchased from: Wilson's

Planted: May 26, 2008 - front yard

Photo Taken: June 6, 2008

Details given at purchase: 4-6' tall; 4' wide; Evergreen; Sun

9.17.08 - The bushes are all doing really well. They have filled out some and really make the front look more complete. I'm happy with our selections. It'll be nice to see how they look throughout the winter.

{fern, petunias & english ivy}

2008-06-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

With some visitors coming to the house and not having devoted any time to the yard yet, I needed a quick fix - particularly at the entrance to our home. We already had the urns from last year, so I just went with the ferns...not normally my favorite, but I was pleased with the instant gratification and I have continued to enjoy them so far.

Plant: Fern (totally unsure of the type or variety - no information was included with them) I intentionally chose the more upright version so it wouldn't get in the way of actually entering the house.
Purchases at: Home Depot
Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Planting Notes: Simply relocated from their purchased pots to the urns.

As I chose flowers, I tried to stick with colors that would complement the red we have used in the front (the door and the pillows). I really loved these petunias and the nice shade of yellow. The hanging pot holder on the front door is one of my favorite things! Sorry the 2nd photo isn't very good quality.
Plant: Lemon Zest Petunia (petunia hybrid)
Purchased at: Home Depot
Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Planting Notes: I divided one purchased plant into to pots.
Details provided upon purchase: Full Sun - Low Height - Hardy to 32 - Blooms Spring to Fall - grows to 3' mound - plant food recommended

Since the 2nd pot for the petunias was wider, I opted to add some ivy.
Plant: English Ivy (hedera helix)
Purchased at: Home Depot
Planted: May 17, 2008 - front porch
Photo Taken: June 6, 2008
Planting Notes: Added three small plants to a pot with petunias, spread a few inches apart
Details provided upon purchase: Hardy, easy-to-grow house plant with dark green leaves, pinch back to promote fullness; Full Sun - Spacing 12-18" - Size 6-12" - Low Watering - Hardy to -25

9.17.08 - Ivy did well. Petunias were very pretty but got too long and stringy. I cut them back and so far they haven't done anything else. The ferns did fantastic through most of the summer. Just a few weeks ago they started to look bad and shed. It hasn't even gotten cool yet, but looks like their day is almost done.

{the beginning}

2008-06-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

i've been wanting to create a gardening blog for quite some time, but just now have gotten around to it. my goal was to put it together over the winter with pictures & information from the last couple of years. that didn't work.

so, i'm starting fresh with this year's plantings. unfortunately last year's drought killed almost everything anyway. we started with almost a blank canvas this spring.

i do not have a green thumb. i couldn't even keep a cactus alive until we bought our first home and i was determined to make it look presentable. i'm still a long way from hitting the level of considering myself a true gardener...but i'm making progress.

i very much enjoy shopping for flowers. i can tolerate the planting (notice i didn't use the word "enjoy"). and when the results are positive, it's quite rewarding. it's a learning experience and i've tried to take pictures and notes along the way so i can learn from my successes and failures. i thought this blog might be an easier way to document all of that going forward.

so, let's dive in...