Either Bernie or Charlie Beans liberated my new shrubs from their nursery pots and removed all of the soil from two of them today, forcing my hand. Damage to the plants seemed minimal, hopeful they will survive. They'll be a couple years even if they do. The two gardenias bloom white through the summer, slowing in the early fall just as the Camellia in the middle should be starting with its pink flowers through the fall to hard freeze. Both are evergreen.
The holly branches used to grow down to the ground where the wiregrass stops in the image above, forming a wall. I limbed up everything this summer to around seven or eight feet, which really opened everything up, but made the fence at the back seem much closer. I've still got some cleanup to do back there, but I mean to plant this shady understory area with Virginia bluebells and Touch-Me-Nots (orange jewelweed) in the spring. The bluebells flower in the spring, jewelweed in the summer. Ferns, hostas, coral bells, and such will be added in a subsequent round, but that's not really on the radar quite yet.
Couple shots I took tooling around out there this afternoon. Almost everything movable has been shifted north to stay in the sun. Most everything should hold up for at least another month here.
The Orange Blaze Kniphofia today. I was hoping for a better flower this time. Waited too long to move him. Firepot dahlia (late start) is in full swing.
Trying to convince my ankle and back we can haul and shovel another yard of dirt tomorrow. Want to get the veggie bed filled finally and seeded with cover. Whoops, dammit, forgot to get a shot of the 4x4 sprouting. Next time.
Oh, and the last two plants for the perennial bed - the Veronica and the Liatris - are in transit! Yay!
