New Fence Bed

April 15, 2013

●●● New Bed
My mom is a far more skilled gardener than I; so when she comes into town, I know I'm going to get some spruced up beds!  

She came up with the idea of adding a side bed along the north fence.  It is a ragged area.  It doesn't get much water, as the sprinkler system doesn't get over there, and most of the grass is patchy or dead.  

So, we decided to put in some hardy bushes and cover the rest of the area with mulch.  

We purchased two knockout roses that were on sale at Lowes for $12!  One is a double red, and the other is called a Sunny Knock out, and it is cream colored with a yellow middle.    Behind that, we purchased a Bottlebrush also from Lowes.  That should grow up tall in time.  Behind that we planted an Esperanza.  I wanted to get the tall variety (like I have in my house bed), but I could only find ones that got 4-6 feet tall.  

I then took three Pride of Barbados plants that Dave had grown from seed and planted them on the posts between the bushes.  We thought the seedlings had died over the winter, but they have sprouted new leaves.  Best to get them in the ground before we forget to water them again!!

I am really pleased and think the new bed came out looking really pretty and turned an eye sore into a color spot!!

But what to do with the back of the bed??  



Two years ago when my mom visited, we purchased a very pretty bird bath to put in the corner, and then added a Plumbago and two TropiCannas.  The plumbago and one of the Cannas died on me last spring, so I purchased replacements.  The new Plumbago is still hanging on (barely), but the other Canna died.  

We realized both of these plants require more sunlight.  So we moved the one remaining Canna and the struggling Plumbago into the new bed - but further from the corner, where they will be in full sunlight (until 3pm).  In the then empty spot in the back corner, we planted a Beautyberry.  I love the purple flowers on these bushes.  

They require shade or part shade and should grow up to 6 feet tall.  Eventually, if it lives, it will fill in the area behind the bird bath.  (I actually purchased the Beautyberry before this whole side bed plan came up -- and didn't know where to put him - so it was perfect)  I also had purchased two white Phlox, so I added them to the corned bed as well.

And isn't this plant pretty??  When we first moved here six years ago, Dave threw down some holly hock and larkspur seed outside the fence.  Six years later, the larkspur is still coming up.  I'm thinking maybe next year I will transplant it to inside the fence... since it is so pretty.  I just don't want to kill it!!