Seasons #7 - Strolling the Side Border
This path and it’s borders have not been here very long, and we are glad to see them begin to fill out and blossum. Other posts have detailed how this garden has evolved. Each time we thought it was “settled”, something happened and we had to start over again. This time, although we will not have to start over completely, we have had some issues to deal with that I will talk more about in another post. I did want to show these photos before I move on.
This view of the path looks up toward the firepit. The roses are drift roses; the far ones in shadow are pink. One of them is very fragrant. They bloom several times throughout the summer and do benefit from being dead headed in between. They are kind of untidy when not in bloom, but are one of those plants that are so pretty when blooming that you forgive them their faults. The center photo is looking toward the front of the house; you can just see the corner of the old arbor in the right hand side. The tall bush on the left side of the photo with the lavender flowers is a hydrangea; the pink flowers in the distance on the right are another hydrangea. The last photo here is of a couple more very pretty daylilies.
This photo of the path was taken just a little later than the first photo. There are still daylilies, but the buddleia and the hydrangeas are beginning to take over the show. This buddleia is another new variety; it is neon pink and only about about 4’ tall. The center photo is of a lace cap hydrangea that hasn’t bloomed in several years. I am very pleased to see it blooming again; it is really a pretty plant. The last view is of the acanthus in bloom. I didn’t really grow them for their blooms, but they are very striking when in bloom.
This is another view of the buddleia and the daylilies next to it. I do try to match the daylilies to the flowers near them, but that doesn’t always work out. For instance, the daylilies in the center photo are very near the first photo and certainly don’t match! But they are so happy that I am leaving them there. The daylilies in the last photo are very large. The orange ones are as large as my hand, and the pale yellow ones are even larger. Did you notice the difference in petal shape on each of the different daylilies??
Final thought:
Garden strolls are an essential part of life for a gardener. A stroll today won’t be the same as a stroll yesterday or tomorrow. A stroll in the afternoon won’t be the same as a morning stroll. And a stroll when you are happy will yield different emotions than a stroll when you are sad. A garden is balm to the soul in all times and seasons of life.