With all the rain we've had this spring, the front garden (which I've dubbed my "woodland garden") is doing very well. The hostas I put in over the past couple of years have grown larger than I expected. (I really should have spaced them out a little better...). I love the variety of greens and textures in this space.
The current challenge in this bed is that the sweet woodruff groundcover (which you can't see in these photos) has taken over and has a tendency to drown out the other plants. It spreads by runners so it's fairly easy to contain -- if I just take the time to do it.
Before the mosquitoes took over, I spent some time cleaning up this bed and it now looks much better. I have a couple of empty spots near the edge that will likely be covered with that groundcover by the end of the summer.
As I was working on this woodland garden the other day, I realized how much it has changed over the years. Gardening is truly a long-term commitment. It can take a long time to achieve the results you're seeking. And sometimes you never quite get there!
It's hard to believe that this is how the garden looked back in 2008 or so when we had a pink-ish house! It definitely didn't have the inviting look I envisioned in my mind. ha ha
We'd had a serviceberry tree in the space but when a wind storm knocked it down, we replaced it with a Japanese maple. We went through a couple of Japanese maple trees before finding one that would actually live.
Around 2008, I began to formulate a plan in my mind for how I wanted the area to look. Since the area is shady during part of the day, I decided to try to create a woodland garden filled with plants I love. I remember finding a garden design in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine and trying to replicate it. I really didn't know what I was doing but amazingly, the space started to fill in pretty nicely.
We also started out with black plastic edging which,
over time, began to lift out of the ground and crack. Eventually we
just pulled it out but of course, that resulted in a constant infiltration
of grass which made maintaining the garden difficult. This photo was taken back in 2015 when deer decided that they'd eat all of our hostas. That was a very bleak summer in the garden!
The next big evolution
took place back in 2016 when we expanded the bed and changed the shape
to a more natural looking curve. We pulled out some overgrown bushes, leaving
space for new plantings.
We added limestone rock edging, which I
think was the best possible
change for this garden and the others around the yard. I just love how
it looks. And it has been a perfect path for the kitties to walk on!
It's fun to look back on this garden and see how it has evolved over time. In it, I can see how much I've learned (and how many mistakes I've made!) as I've fiddled with garden design and plant choices.
And now, after 11+ years, I can say that I'm very happy with my woodland garden. That's not to say I won't continue to tinker with it just a little bit... 😉
Happy gardening!
jp
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