Larger planting beds and less grass means less maintenance. With the exception of three Turk’s Cap shrubs, the front garden is now complete. Because of the newly extended beds, the removal of the not-so-hot-looking plants, the transplanting of some of the original perennials, and the addition of shade tolerant perennials, I’m hoping that I won’t need to be putting in the insane amount of maintenance hours that have been required over the last few summers. Looking at the above and following photos, you may think that things look a bit tiny and insignificant. Just you wait. In July or August, I’ll be taking new photos, and you will definitely see a big difference.
This wing of the house is what was formerly called the tumor wing.
The oak tree has fully leafed out, and it was the perfect time to take this photo. I am in the process of finishing a newly designed website which will include this blog, and this photo was needed for the landscape section. Keep in mind that what you see in the photo is an ongoing work in progress and some items are still missing. I am currently looking for a very large pot to place on the brick terrace in front of all the electrical boxes, and of course, I intend to plant something in it. I just don’t know what until I have the pot. And we’re waiting on the zexmenia to become available, which will be planted against the foundation under the screen porch. Expect the new site to be up and running by the end of next week, but before then I will post photos of my just completed front garden.
During last week’s deluge, the front garden makeover finally commenced. The conditions were far from ideal, but the forecast had predicted sunny skies, and the work had already been postponed for too long. Michael Parkey had marked all existing plants with colored tape — the orange tape indicated complete removal, the white tape designated transplanting, and the blue meant that the plant was to remain untouched. The Hadden Landscaping crew made fast work of the demo despite the bog-like conditions, and the irrigation crew was able to come the next day to install the new drip lines and sprinkler heads.
Since this makeover is not as extensive as the backyard garden, I’ve decided that I will combine all the front transformation phases into a future single blog post. So expect another post with a lot more photos sometime towards the end of next week.
Sadly, an opossum was the one to get trapped. I actually like opossums, and they’re beneficial to have around. But since he would continually come back and fall for the same trick, it made sense to have him or her transported to a more rural area. We’ve decided not to continue with the bated traps until after the front garden’s landscaping has been completed and when little exotic goldfish are again available to restock my little pond. A day or two before I purchase the new fish, I will have Master Services come out and again place two traps. Anyway, I’ve been told that two blocks over, there is some raccoon roadkill, and perhaps this raccoon was the one who killed my tiny pets.
Last Friday night my little pond was totally trashed. And while cleaning — desperately looking for my three little fish — I only found bits and pieces of my former friends. The experts say it was raccoons, and there’s little to be done to prevent this from happening again. But this will not keep me from trying to encourage them to move out of my neighborhood. Master Services Animal Control has set up two traps around the fish pond, and way in the back end of each trap is a small container of dog food. They tell me that cats are not likely to fall for this trick, and I’m counting on it. If and when a raccoon has been captured, I will photograph the criminal to share with you before he or she is taken far away to be released.
If you’re wondering about new fish for the pond, I’m told that the new shipments of fish won’t arrive at local water garden stores until mid-April.
Unofficially it’s called “dog vomit slime mold”, but officially it’s known as Fuligo septica. Which, when roughly translated into english means, “sticky stuff on the bottom of Bob’s shoe”. Not a fungus and definitely not dog yak-up, this stuff is often found growing in mulched areas and is impossible to get rid of. But that’s ok since it’s harmless to plants, humans, and pets. When I first noticed the mold, it was in its fruiting stage and quite beautiful, and from a distance it looked like a drift of fallen yellow jessamine flowers. Then overnight it puffed and poofed into this ugly brown mass. It may be harmless, but this organism does not go away as quickly as it appears. The crust on this one will eventually be broken by rain and/or unsuspecting critters thus releasing millions of spores. And as long as we, here in Dallas, Texas and continue to have mild weather, this mold will continue to thrive in my garden.
Carolina jessamine. The jessamine vines are blooming right on schedule, and if it weren’t for my allergies, I would be able to enjoy their sweet scent. Last winter’s extreme and extended freezes damaged most of that year’s blooms. And then with the past year’s four months of triple digit temperatures, I lost two vines while another two were partially wasted. Considering the setbacks, the survivors are giving quite a show.
Candytuft. This one was just planted this past summer, so I’m not sure if it’s suppose to be blooming now. According to what I read on the internet, this perennial is considered to be a late-spring bloomer, but there are some folks who say theirs bloom before the daffodils. The Candytuft is an extremely hardy evergreen sub-shrub that prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade as long as it’s planted in well-drained soil. If you’re curious to know what it looks like, click on the link below.
The hellebores bloomed two weeks early this year. Nonetheless, their timing seems right with Mardi Gras and Lent happening in less than two weeks. These blooms can last up to two, maybe three months, and the hellebores that are in deeper shade have yet to bloom. You’ll find two more photos by clicking the link below.
The Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei) started blooming two weeks ago. I like to call this plant the Grape Holly, because beautiful blue-purple-grape-like berries replace the yellow flowers during the spring months. But this is not correct, because there is a Mahonia from Oregon that owns that name. Mine originates from China.
My Camellia shrub’s formal name is unknown to me. I have to be vigilant from December through February and keep it protected from below freezing temperatures, but this winter has been mild so far. This is the first time that the buds are pure white without any burned edges.
Click on the image above to get a much larger version.
The proposed plantings for my front garden. If what they say is true, and La Niña will be with us through May, then now is the perfect time to transform my front garden. This will give the new plants plenty of time to become established before things heat up into the triple digits this summer. All of the plants listed above in the drawing are suppose to do well in shade, be okay with too much water and/or too little water, and endure extreme heat and cold.
I recently learned some heartbreaking news about my existing Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ . They are the three large white circular masses you see in front of the water feature (actually to the left of the pond in the above drawing). There is a mealybug native to China with no known natural predators that is killing off these ornamental grasses locally. And nothing can be done about it. By pulling the grasses apart and looking down into the crown, we found one nasty critter, which indicates the whole group is probably infected. So my three clumps will gradually decline over the next few years. They have been so glorious for the past ten years. Boohoo.
When the project is close to beginning, I will post a photo of how the garden looks now and over the next few months keep you up to date with the transformation. But first we need to send these construction drawings out to bid.
