Our New Garden

Karen thought 13 pictures was too many. I kind of agree with her...but you gardeners, landscapers, horticulterers, etc. out there will appreciate the pictures. :) We bought our home from the builder...and the typical variety of box woods with one holly graced the front of our house. Neither of us are fans of box woods. Here's a picture to the right of our front door (I always forget to take "before" pictures). This area will have a similar makeover next spring. That's how it looked on the left side of our front door as well--only throw in a few 4-foot tall weeds...it was a lovely weed garden. After twelve hours of intense labor (with a quick run to a couple stores and lunch) this is our first flower garden in our Virginia home.

I learned a lot from our several flower gardens in Illinois. Our first home was our practice home in many regards. We took a couple months to plan this garden...and when it came to shopping, I got less rather than more. This is the view from our front porch.

The theme is mostly summer. But it's well-balanced with some evergreens and perennials that bloom in spring, summer and fall. We'll have something to enjoy throughout the year. And the kids absolutely love the walking path.

I love this frog...

And our little turtle...

Here's some Tickseed--it's a very grassy perennial with a wildflower look.

Not our favorite, but the Black-eyed Susan is a natural fit to a summer garden.

The last two flowers are a new favorite for me. The blooms are clusters of tiny little flowers. And the combination of yellow and wine-colored blooms compliment each other nicely. The Yarrow has fern-like foliage and adds to the summer feel.

Other plants not highlighted were our Blue Star Junipers, Silver Mound, Snow-in-Summer, and Autumn Joy Sedum. I've learned to enjoy the hard physical labor of establishing a flower garden (anyone have a tiller I can borrow next time...the clay soil in Virginia is not my friend). And at some point throughout the day, all 5 kids came out to help and enjoy the experience. Even Karen, with her cute 7-month belly, came out to help with plant placement and mulch spreading. We love our new garden!