The year I moved in, after the
great yard destruction, I planted a few things. This spot is VERY shady and says fairly wet most of the summer. I thought maybe some Hostas could tolerate the shade and the wet. Well, the massive amounts of summer rain seemed to drown even the hostas, because by the end of summer, they were wilted. And after the winter I thought for sure they were all dead.
The next Spring, a neighbor of mine suggested that the hosta roots might still be viable and that they would live if I moved them. I thought for sure they had met the truth death. What you know? In the Spring they started to poke their little heads out of the dirt. Not wanting a repeat of the previous year, I decided to move them. I found them a shady and much less wet spot towards the back of my yard and in a few months, I had the picture on the right. Pretty cool.
In the bed by the bay window, I moved both Hydrangeas from other parts of the yard, put in three Aquilegia Songbird Cardinals (red and white Columbines), two generic Foxgloves, and some Stargazer Lily. I also planted a Vanilla Spice Clethra, but it didn't make to this year. So sad. Later that year I planted a Caramel Coral Bells. Darn thing cost me $12! It was an impulse buy, and I'm so happy I bought it because it's one of my favorites. Worth every red cent.
I suppose it was pretty sorry looking that year. Still, I insist that it was an improvement over three prickly aphid invested Pyracantha.
It's been two years since I moved into the house. The yard isn't where I want it to be, but it's definitely better than when I moved in. The picture of the right was taken this spring after everything started to bloom. The Hydrangeas are gorgeous, the Columbines were pretty as ever, the Coral Bells is so much bigger than I thought it would be, and there are hostas all over the place. There is still work to do this fall; mostly moving more hydrangeas. Overall, I just love it. It's so rewarding to see the results of your labor grow and bloom.
