Past Successes
While going through photos for this blog, I came across some past successes in our front yard, some that were outstanding, and some that didn’t last for one reason or another. I will show more in another blog, but I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy sharing them.
The first photo shows our daughter, Jen and her husband, Chris, under the arbor that we built for their wedding. We were blessed that not only did the wedding go well, but so did the marriage!! (Speaking of “past successes” that are still current!!) The rose is called Pearly Gates and is probably my all time favorite rose. The rose did well for a few years but eventually I think it didn’t get enough sun. The arbor has been up for several years now and needs some work done. We debated taking it down but I think we will repair it and try once again with the Pearly Gates now that the leylands are gone. The sweet little clematis is still on the arbor; isn’t it pretty?
This was what the right side of our front yard looked like when we bought the house. Nothing there, not even decent grass! The second photo was taken several years ago. Quite a change, huh?? The leylands behind the arbor had been pruned down at least once and were not at all daunted; they were still reaching for the sky. I love the Bridal Wreath spireas when they are in bloom. When they are not in bloom, they are twiggy and not very attractive. So we eventually took these out. Sure miss them in the spring, though. I still have one that needs to be planted; this time it will be as part of a border where it’s short comings won’t be so visible. The next photo shows the crepe myrtles in bloom. At one point we had seven of these around the front part of our front yard. We had a hard winter one year and all but these two died. They are doing well and add interest even when not in bloom because of their colorful mottled bark. After the other five died; we were able to add trees that we wouldn’t have had room for otherwise.
These are Endless Summer hydrangeas; aren’t they beautiful?? We weren’t sure what to expect the first year after we planted them but they were just spectacular! They bloomed like this for about the first three or four years and then quit blooming. We still aren’t sure why. The plants stayed healthy, so a couple of years ago we moved them to a shady location. They are growing very well and still not blooming. So I think we will try to move them back and see what happens. If we can’t get them to bloom again, maybe we will just start over with new plants, because they are so lovely when in bloom. The trees in the background are Forest Pansy redbuds. We still have them; they are quite a bit bigger now. The foliage in spring is a deep burgundy; very outstanding. The Endless Summer hydrangeas are one “past success” that we wish was still current!
The first photo here is another “before” photo taken when we bought the house. I guess the good thing is we bought a blank canvass, so to speak. The next photo, also of the cul de sac, was taken after we had lived here for several years. Even though the landscape has changed since this photo, it is still much prettier than the first photo! The last photo is of the border outside the fence. The redbuds are Forest Pansies—gorgeous. And just love those tulips!
The next photo shows the border along our driveway, looking up toward the house. Some of these daylilies are still there. Some have been moved. The problem with this border, though, was that it didn’t have enough of a variety of plants and bushes. After the daylilies were done blooming, there wasn’t much to hold your interest. The next one is a photo of the border from a different angle. You can see that, while we were on the right track, it hadn’t really come together yet. It had a sort of ragged look. The next photo is a close up of the hydrangea in that area. We still have it, and let me tell you when that one is in bloom, it is a show stopper. It is called Incrediball and it is incredible! It is a lot bigger now and, even though my hubby pruned it back almost to the ground in the early spring, it did wonderfully well this year.
These photos are of some of the plants that are still in the border. The blue iris are charming—there is just something about blue in the border. They are among the first plants to bloom and the angel trumpets, planted about 25 years ago, are among the last. They come back faithfully every year, and bloom at a time when other plants are about done for the year and so are very welcome. They put on such a show that you don’t even notice there aren’t many other plants blooming. Their only draw back (besides being very poisonous!!) is they bloom so late in the season that they are never finished blooming by the time frost hits.The white angel trumpet moved itself over the years from inside the fence to outside the fence. Not sure why. The branches and blooms get bumped by vehicles on the driveway every once in awhile. But not enough of a drawback to cut it down. We have learned that angel trumpets don’t like to be moved and so, unless it moves itself again, it is going to stay there.
Final thought:
Successes in gardening, as in life, need to be enjoyed in the moment. If a success lasts, great, because after all, it is a success. But if it doesn’t, we need to just move on. Because, God willing, there will be other, maybe even greater successes if we learn and persevere.