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Duluth - Georgia - USA - Zone 7b
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Front Yard
Between 2002, when we first got here, and the end of 2005 I really
didn't do much to the front yard except mow a lot of lawn every week.
July 2003
Lots of grass and English Ivy on the hill. I made a small bed
around the mailbox and front tree but not much else. |
September 2003
There was Liriope and violets in the lawn around the tree which I started
to kill with RoundUp, making the area look rather terrible. I then
decided to turn the whole hill into a garden to prevent me from
having to mow the hill and having to look at all the dead spots. The
English Ivy was also slowly creeping and needed to be put in bounds. |
November 2005
I removed the pavers around the tree and made a new bed on the hill,
putting down a 2 inch layer of compost and then mulch. |
April 2006
Robert and I made two low retaining walls on the hill and I extended
the bed another 5 feet into the grass. I planted a row of Loropetalum 'Burgundy' on
the hill to form a screen and I filled the rest of the bed with
native and French Hydrangeas, and native Azaleas in shades of yellow,
orange and red. |
April 2006
I also removed half of the English Ivy and planted native wild plants
like Coral Bells, Foam Flowers and several different kinds of ferns.
Between the natives I added several Daylilies and Lenten Roses. |
May 2006
I removed the rest of the Ivy on the hill, an arduous task, made two low retaining
walls and planted Ocala Anise (Illicium parviflorum) on the hill to eventually form an evergreen
screen. The rest of the hill will get lots of ferns and native wild
plants. I also put stepping stone steps to get up the hill to the
road. |
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July 2006
I dug a 14" deep pit to accommodate a bog garden, left a berm on one end
and then dug a 20" hole on the other side for a small pond. After
putting down a 1" bed of sand I lined the whole area with fishpond liner
and secured it with flagstones. The bog area is filled with 50% red
Georgia clay and 50% sphagnum peat moss. The top of the berm is
about 4" lower than the pond edge. I then placed a row of bricks on
the berm and topped it with flagstones to hide the brick. This
allows water to pass from the pond to the bog. I placed a piece of
landscape fabric between the bricks and the bog so that soil and peat does
not migrate into the pond area. If the bog is dry I fill it through
the pond. I then created a pebble beach on one
side of the bog. Finally came the bog plants, such as pitcher
plants, moss and rushes. I submerged a round ceramic pot into the
pond and planted a lotus. To keep the mosquitoes at bay I added one
goldfish, who seems to be enjoying his new environment. The only
problem is he ate the lotus. |
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May 2008
My Hellebores had babies by the hundreds so I transplanted them all around
the shade garden. I planted several more ferns and other
shade-loving plants. Several of the bog plants died, like the
pitcher plants and Venus flytrap, but the Siberian Iris has taken off and
gave a lovely show of flowers this year. The variegated yellow flag
has not bloomed in the 3 years I have had it. I gave the goldfish a
girlfriend and they seem to be enjoying life in their little pond. |
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June 2009
In general this shade garden is filling out nicely. I once again
spread new baby Hellebores around as well as many Lungwort and Celandine
Poppy babies. Over the winter I planted several more ferns, Autumn
Fern, Cinnamon Fern and Lady's Fern. They plumped up nicely this
spring and are putting on a good show. The variegated iris in the
bog is soon to be removed as it does not bloom and it obscures the
Siberian Iris behind it, which bloom profusely. |
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Copyright Reserved - Created September 2005 -
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Jane |