Creation of a Shade Garden

My husband & I took a desolate corner of our backyard (behind the garage) and turned it into a pleasant shady garden that will add some interest where there previously was none. I was never a fan of Hostas before, but have now come to appreciate them. It's really pointless to attempt to "fight the shade", and so I'm brushing up on other shade-loving plants (Bleeding Hearts seem especially delightful) that I can work into the landscape. We have a plan, and now simply need to implement it, and I just hope to be done for sure by Spring 2010 season.

BEFORE:
AFTER:
Ingrediants: 2 Rhododendrons (Roseum Pink) + 1 to-be-transplanted, 5 Hostas Patriot, 7 Lamium White Nancy

Blooming Boxwood?

Our hedge shrubs are abloom, and I'm confused about this new development because I thought we had the Common Boxwood, but apparently we lucked out once again and have this wonderful new entertainer in the Entry Garden. I wish I knew more about all the plants on my property.

Tall Tulip Tree

I have an amazing backyard, full of strong mature trees and not cookie-cutter in any way, and even though I found this house in the dead of winter as the trees lay dormat, I could imagine what great potential awaited me. At the back of our property line near the Garden Shed, my husband & I recently kept noticing exquisite large flowers on the canopy floor to our great curiosity. I never realized that large shade trees bloomed, but some astute online research confirmed that indeed, we are endowed with a wonderful Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera)! The tree is a native, but one which (unfortunately) has blooms bourne so high up in the branches that they aren't readily visible from below. I guess we'll have to appreciate the interesting flowers after they have fallen.

Pretty Peonies

I am oh so ready to start humming "Here Comes The Sun", because it has been raining seemingly forever (5 days straight at least) and I am missing out on enjoying my Spring Garden. The downside of living in a major metropolitan area like Washington D.C., is that only the lucky get a commute in the sub-hour-each-way range. By the time I get home at 6pm, the best of the day has passed. A week ago, I discovered that I had a beautiful Peony Tree blooming next to the garage where our trash bins are stored. The large creamy flowers throw off an exquisite scent, and I immediately hit the web to read about all-things-Peony because I never had much awareness of this plant before. Peonies are as beautiful and perfumed as roses, seemingly as easy to grow and maintain, and without the thorns. Sounds *perfect* to me! The endless heavy rains are beginning to take their toll, so I captured a picture this morning before I headed off to work. I am so so excited to have stumbled upon the glorious Peony, and I can't wait to expand my collection when planting time comes in the Fall. A Garden contains so many surprises, and I hope this will only be the first of many.

Paradise Found

(Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda "Place of many little birds")

For so many years I was a Gardener without a Garden, living a transient existence in various apartments in various places, all the way from Houston (too hot) to Chicago (too cold). I always longed to be rooted, to have a place to call HOME, and at last I have found my own private paradise and it is warm and just right. My plot of land in Northern Virginia presents so many opportunities, and my ultimate goal is to create a special and magical space that will be both welcoming to wildlife and a laboratory where I can express myself. Several years ago, I had the great blessing to spend a good many days on an island in Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda, one of the most beautiful locales across the globe. It was a dream, a pure and simple Garden of Eden. There were so many songbirds, so much colour and beauty, and I was touched with an inspiration that has followed me to this day. Now as a First-Time Homeowner, I am ready and set to dig in and implement plans for My Dream Garden, and it is with great excitement that I launch this weblog to chart my adventures and lessons learned on the way!