"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Entry garden.

This is what visitors to our house see as they walk to our front door.  This little corner bed is one of my favorites, although it's gone through quite a few revisions since we lived here.  Click here to read the post on the story of the Japanese Maple and how it came to be in our yard.  
This summer I've been continuing to work on it now that it's mostly shade again.  I've moved the phlox and sun loving perennials back out and the Astillbes and Hostas back in.  The hot and dry summer didn't make their transition very easy, but they are at least alive still and hopefully next spring and summer they'll look a little healthier.

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium) and Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) are some of the spring bloomers in here.  The Bleeding hearts are still blooming, although the flowers are pretty small.

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue'

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' beginning to age.  There are so many shades of blue on the shrub now.

The foliage of the Japanese Maple 'Orido Nishiki' is variegated cream and green, the stems are reddish-pink.

My Mom bought this handmade pottery bird feeder many years ago.  I moved it here this summer in front of the office window.  The birds seem to like the shade and safety of this corner.

Heuchera 'Dolce Key Lime Pie' is new to this area.

Another new Heuchera 'Ginger Ale' is planted near 'Palace Purple'.

A hardy fuchsia that's just loaded with buds.  I plan to add a couple more to this area.

The florists Hydrangea that my husband gave me is next to 'Nikko Blue', not as many blooms but such a pretty purple color.

Trollius 'Cheddar' smells like jasmine.  I had no idea it could smell so good.

 This has been a fun area to work in because unlike the backyard with it's dry shade in most places, this bed doesn't have cedar or pine roots to compete with.  I'm planning to add lots of spring blooming bulbs here and luckily the first bulb catalog just arrived yesterday.  I can't believe I'm already thinking about next spring, but I guess I'll have to start planting in a couple of months to make this entry colorful then.
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32 comments:

  1. Wow Catherine, you've been a busy blogger whilst I've been swanning round France on my holidays! Gorgeous photos and I love your front garden. I hope your visitors enjoy it as they arrive! :)

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  2. You have a most lovely welcoming front garden and it looks fantastic. If I drove by your place I'd be sure to stop and say hello because I know a gardener lives there. Love that Nikko!

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  3. Catherine, What a beautiful entry - so cool and relaxing. I wouldn't wonder that you'd be sipping lemonaide out there sometimes! :-)

    Your 'Ginger Ale' must be a beautiful contrast to 'Palace Purple' (which I enjoy more and more).

    Tell me about your Japanese Maple 'Orido Nishiki.' I know I've read about it, but does it grow very tall? It's just beautiful!

    I must look up Trollis. Your 'Cheddar' is so delicate appearing. It's nice that it has a wonderful aroma! :-)

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  4. Absolutely beautiful! You really have an eye for combining different colors, sizes and textures.

    I have never heard of that last type of plant, but you have piqued my interest!

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  5. What a beautiful sight to greet your guests..I'll be right over!! Of course it's time to think about spring bulbs girlie!!

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  6. NIce entry....your guests won't be looking at your house!! LOL!

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  7. Gorgeous...I love all of your blooms...wow you do such a good job with your gardening!!!

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  8. Those Heucheras have such wonderful names don't they? I have plum pudding and peaches and cream!

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  9. Catherine - the entry is so colorful and inviting. I love the hydrangea. The japanese maple is so pretty with the variation of the leaves.

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  10. Catherine, I see your problem now - your visitors may never want to leave.

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  11. Hi Catherine, Everything looks so pretty. The colors are just beautiful. It must be fun to watch your guests' reaction to such a welcoming entry.

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  12. What a beautiful garden. You have worked hard and it shows. Love the feeder your mama made. Oh yeah, I got a Parks Seed catalog in the mail today!!!

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  13. LOVELY! Absolutely beatiful and inviting. I know that I would feel welcomed and at peace as I stand at the entrance of your lovely home. Gorgeous blooms. I haven't smelled a Tollius before, but I do love the smell of Jasmine!

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  14. Just so pretty. I love the light blue of the hydrangea against the blue of you siding. I am so sad none of my hydrangeas have bloomed this summer.

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  15. Beautiful entryway! I wish I had more shade to play with some of those plants that you have!

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  16. Lovely garden catherine.... You combine the colours well. Neat..
    ~bangchik

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  17. Too bad your Nikko Blue has such small flowerheads and so few flowers on the bush. I kid, I kid. Gorgeous. How can any plant with the name 'Cheddar' smell like jasmine? If I were invited to your home for dinner, most likely you'd have to come outside and grab me because I'd be wandering all over your yard enjoying the plants. Lovely.

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  18. Oh my goodness there's that beautiful blue hydrangea again. Gosh that is so pretty!

    I have never heard of Trollius before. That's a lovely bloom and I can only imagine the scent. How nice.

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  19. I love the combination of the hydrangea with the Japanese Maple. You really have quite a touch!

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  20. Your entry garden is just lovely. All of the Hydrangea flowers are beautiful; my favorite is the purple. The Trollius looks wonderful. I had no idea it was fragrant.

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  21. Hi Catherine~~ I'm a fan of each of these plants, however the Trollis is new to me. I'll be adding it to my list! I have an incurable weakness for fragrant flowers. I've always enjoyed your banner photo of the entryway. I'm glad your transplants were able to survive the dreaded heat.

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  22. All I will say is...I am so envious of your soil! Blue hydrangeas!!! LOL

    Seriously,it looks so beautiful,Catherine.

    Everything is very complimentary and it looks fabulous and lush. A just tribute to your skills ;-)

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  23. Lovely garden Catherine. I had no heard of the Trollius 'Cheddar' --will have to check it out.

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  24. What a lovely entry to your home. It looks really welcoming, and must be so nice for visitors as they come to the door. And also for you as you go out, to go past all those lovely plants! I always get a lot of pleasure when I visit friends who have interesting gardens.

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  25. Catherine. Thank you for your comment at my place. It can be said that I challenge the reader, and this may not be everyone's cup of tea. I really appreciate your steadfast support of my pages (you are, I think you've said, a secret rebel).

    The chair picture was my favorite, too. There's an uneasy feeling about it. It looks like it was taken from a considerable height. It's actually a tiny model chair on a small patch of concrete. The fact that the scale is wrong gives it a disturbing quality.

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  26. Catherine- your entry garden is beautiful! I love the pottery birdhouse and that Nikko Blue Hydrangea is amazing! This heat has been horrendous, hope your week of it is better!

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  27. Shady - I love this Japanese Maple. The pictures don't really show the colors the same as in person. The tag it came with said the 10 year height is 8 feet, but I'm sure it's closer to 15 feet and it's only been there around 6 years. Now I wonder how tall it will get, luckily where it is, it can get as tall as it wants.

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  28. So, what do you do with your dry shade areas in the back? Have you done a lot of soil amending?
    Several of my hydrangeas didn't come out of the heat looking very good. Wish they looked like yours!

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  29. The dry shade under the pine tree is almost impossible to grow much in. I've done lots of amending, but the pine tree just sucks up the water. I keep experimenting. Right now hellebores are doing pretty good there. Under the cedars I have pretty good luck with ferns, hostas, hellebores and pulmonaria. I've amended under them too and they don't seem to cause as much competition with the plants. It's just hard to dig underneath since the roots are very shallow.

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  30. That hydrangea is amazing! I hope mine get that big!! WOW!

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  31. You can only make a first impression once as they say....

    Beautiful

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