November 3, 2017

New Front Flowerbeds--Construction & Planting

I was going to jump right in with what I had planted in these beds; then I realized that I hadn't even really mentioned them on the blog yet!

So, my husband built these for me last month.
(He knows the way to my heart!)
They are right in front of our front fence.

First he had to dig them out, because it was pretty much straight gravel right there.
Then he set the blocks in for the border.

Getting blocks laid out.

Filled them up with topsoil.


Finished!

Much of what I purchased this fall was to go in these beds.
I'm planting them in 3 sections, based on spaces between fence posts, with each section containing basically the same things. My color scheme here will be pastels--pale pink, purple, and blue, with occasional splashes of darker purples.
The shorter end sections--at the far end and by the mailbox--will be a little different than the main ones, but still have some shared elements.

I've got 3 English roses, variety 'A Shropshire Lad', coming next March, that will climb over the fence. I've also got several peonies; not all the same variety, but all fitting the colors. The tulips are between where the roses will be and the peonies, and I put in daffodils around the back and sides of every fence post. 

I want to add an ornamental grass of some sort to each end of the beds, as well.

* * * * *
Once I started planting the peonies, I decided to spread them out a bit further than my original plans. So I put them in about one per fence post.
Starting at the far end, these are the peonies in each section, left to right:

Far End: 'Lady Alexandra Duff' (double; blush pink) 

Section 1: 'Raspberry Sunday' (double; light pink ringed in gold)

Section 2: 'Eden's Perfume' (double; medium pink)
'Do Tell' (Japanese; orchid pink outer petals with rose, pink, & white inner)

Section 3 (between mailbox and driveway):
'Do Tell' (same as above)
'Vivid Rose' (double; light pink)

The mix of tulips I did was the same for each section as well.
'Sweet 16' (Emperor; ballerina pink; mid-April)
'Happy Family' (Multi-Flowering; rose pink; May)
'Green Wave' (Parrot; pale mauve pink w/ green flames; late May)
Layered on top of the tulips were Muscari 'Valerie Finnis' (pale blue; April/May).

For a touch of blue in June, I put Allium 'Caesium' in the end section by the mailbox, and in section 3, across the sidewalk. I want to get a few more so I can put them in the far end section as well.
(See?! Never enough bulbs!) At this point, though, I will wait until next year to see how it looks.

I've got 'Festival Pink' hyacinths in there as well, but I can't for the life of me remember where precisely I put them. Guess we'll find out next spring!

For summer bloomers, I'm thinking about putting in nepeta (catmint), salvia, and possibly scabiosa (pincushion flowers) or pink chives. There are many different options, though, so I'll have to just browse at the nursery next spring and see what catches my eye.

One of my favorite past-times is planning out flowerbeds.
I looking forward to seeing how it turns out next year.
(I'm sure there will be things that need adjusting--that's part of the fun as well!)

2 comments:

  1. Those beds look like the perfect canvas. Can't wait to see the art in them next year! Your plan sound awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Allison! I'm already excited for spring, too! :)

      Delete