When we moved here not quite five years ago, there were no gardens in the front yard. Just 3, large cedar shrubs that acted as perfect anchors in the garden to come. After four years and a lot of dirt underneath my fingernails, the garden is still not finished...and probably never will be.
Each year, I make it a little bigger and move things around. The shrubs are slowly filling in and the perennial plants (most of which I got for free from my Mom's garden) need to be divided. Sometimes I hold a perennial sale, and sometimes I add them to the most recent extension to the garden along the side of our house.
Perennial gardening makes it hard to choose a favorite season. Each month, a different flower is blooming than the month before, yet somehow, each month is equally and uniquely beautiful just like the last.
I suppose though, that if I had to pick an absolute favorite time of year, it would fall somewhere between the last two weeks of May and the first two weeks of June. This is when some of my very favorite plants in the garden are at their peak.
Come with me; I'll walk you through.
In the shaded areas, we have several groupings of Lung wort. It's such an awful name for such a lovely plant. Miniature dark purple and pink flowers are complemented by light, silver-green leaves. When the flowers are finished blooming, I trim them down and for the rest of the summer, we enjoy a hosta-like plant of silver leaves.
Bleeding Hearts and Lady's Mantle. These also grow well in moist, shaded areas which we have a lot of since our house faces North. Bleeding Hearts have always been a favorite of mine. I don't care for the flowers Lady's Mantle produces, but the leaves are beautiful and stay a lovely shade of green all season long. In the morning, they collect dew drops that look like little jewels when they're caught by the glistening sun.
Forget-me-nots, the one perennial I love to see get out of hand. I love seeing the baby-blue color pop up in places I know were bare last year. I've found them in the lawn and in the pathway to the front door too.
Emerald and gold Euonymus, pink Moss Phlox, and purple Bugle weed. These three colors are powerful together.
Silver Lamb's Ears, variegated Hostas, and fuschia Moss Phlox. My goal is to eventually have Lamb's Ears bordering the whole garden. The kids love "petting" the soft, velvety leaves. Our 3-year-old is quite sure they really are ears from a real lamb.
Silver Dead-Nettle, more pink Moss Phlox, and purple Lung-wort- all growing in the shaded area of our garden by the front door. Eventually we might put in a concrete driveway, but right now I'm enjoying the more natural, rustic look of pea gravel.
Periwinkle.
Lilacs. There are no words to describe their delicious fragrance.
Same goes for Lily-of-the-valley. The scent is absolutely intoxicating. I close my eyes and take a big whiff every time I walk by these sweet little white flowers.
Come again soon!
Linking to: Time-Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Raising Homemakers, Frugally Sustainable, Wild Crafting Wednesdays, Deep Roots At Home, Wise Woman, Raising Arrows, Natural Living, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts for Home, The Prairie Homestead , The Better Mom
