Many moons ago, I shared that we were starting on an update of our landscaping and gardens. I had garden plans drawn up awhile back and this spring engaged a landscaping company to implement them.
Long story short, we started this big project over the summer but didn't finish it as the landscape guy recommended we proceed in phases. I'll admit I was disappointed about the slow progress but in retrospect, that was actually the right move. We made good inroads on this project over the summer and now plan to have it finished next May.
This summer, we had edging installed, three new trees planted, bushes removed, and the gardens expanded (BEFORE post, AFTER post if you're interested).
A few days ago, the guys came back and removed all the plant material that I didn't want to keep as part of the "new" garden spaces. The landscape guy suggested that by removing all the plants I didn't need, we'd be better able to visualize the new spaces. While I was anxious to move faster on this project, I do think that was the right decision!
In addition to removing plants, we had a couple of new things added. The yarrow on this corner, which always flopped over and looked messy, was removed. This small hydrangea looks much tidier and will give a nice bit of color. I already like it so much better!
This rose bush was moved from a bad location to a better spot on the side of the house. I'm hoping it gets enough sun here to bloom, as I didn't get even a single bud this summer!
A new lilac bush was added to the side of this back garden to balance it out.
A lot of other plant material was removed from the gardens: heliopsis, coreopsis, and catmint. Catmint doesn't spread as badly as regular mint, but it flops over, splits, and generally looks messy most of the summer. I'm tired of dealing with it! The coreopsis spreads almost uncontrollably and after nearly 20 years, I'm also tired of fighting it. And while I do love the gold heliopsis for bouquets, they also flop over and cover the other plants. I just didn't have a good spot for them, so they had to go. :(
So now with all of this space cleared, we can better see which plants can be split and moved, and where we need to add new ones. The garden plans I had drawn up will help with that, with a big dose of reality thrown in by the landscape guy who is helping me.
Of course, everything looks pretty ragged right now, especially with those big gaps. I'm very much looking forward to finishing this project in the spring so I can enjoy the new garden spaces!
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