Volunteer white and purple violets

Yesterday, I posted about mostly my greenhouse plants and seedlings but today I want to show you what is happening outside. After all, I’m spending a great deal of time out there and I’ve got all the aches and pains to prove it! So on with my first spring garden tour of 2015. Short and sweet with a few tips and tidbits thrown in.

I’ll start with the front. Walk up to my front door and to your left this is what you’d see as of a few days ago. (early April) Mom’s bunny boot scrubber which now has moss growing in it, sweet smelling hyacinths, columbine, coral bells, hostas, ferns, left over tulips and bulbs along with a favorite flower of mine (yet to bloom) that I can’t seem to get an official id on. It’s right in front of the bunny’s head.

I got it from a lady that held plant sales in her yard each year and she called it Veronica but I don’t think that’s what it is. Soon, it will have beautiful purple flowers up and down a stalk similar to Balloon flower but I don’t think that’s it either. I believe it’s some sort of Campanula.

front garden vignette

Look a little further to the left and up against the house, you’ll see that I’ve been moving plants again. I’m notorious for this. If something doesn’t feel right, I move it. It doesn’t really matter to me what time of year it is. I baby my plants most of the time anyway. This time, I’ve swapped a fern for this soon to be tall and vase shaped hosta ‘Liberty’ variety. It is a variegated yellow and green and should brighten this dark area some. You can see I’ve dug up that cute little ruffled white and green hosta and put it in a pot. I’m giving that to a friend whom I’ve traded plants with last year.

swapping spots

Right next to the new ‘Liberty’ hosta is this European variegated shrub I’ve just propagated with the leftover trimmings I cut off of it. It was getting to where I couldn’t walk on my cute little stone path. You can see the cuttings have leafed out. I just stuck them in this large pot that doesn’t drain well and they couldn’t be happier.

propagating shrubs with trimmings – European Variegated Dogwood

Follow the stone path to the front and I’ve got a collection of coral bells going. I just love these plants. I have a favorite plant nursery near Hovey Lake called Hasting’s Plants and I buy a new (to me) variety each year for a few years now. I’ve already got planned what I’ll buy my next trip out there. I kinda got a thing with the coral bells (heuchera).

Coral Bells

Coral Bells ‘Gold Zebra’

Coral Bells ‘Caramel’

Coral Bells ‘Caramel’

This variety called ‘Caramel’ is a monster. If you want to cover a large area quick, this will do it. I’ve split it up once already and I think the plant is only 3 years old and both plants are huge and need to be divided again. But so gorgeous.

Round the corner and you’ll see a deep shade garden. Mostly I grow hostas here but in the early spring like now you can see the Foam Flower blooming. Isn’t she sweet?

Foam flower

Cut around back to the front and I’ve got an old pink tulip that’s hung on for years. Behind that is Mom’s floppy ears rabbit, a fern (cinnamon I think) and boxwood ‘winter gem’ and some ditch lilies I’ve dug up and brought to every house I’ve lived at. Oh and those grasses aren’t weeds, they are Star of Bethlehem, just not bloomed yet.

pink tulip with floppy ears bunny rabbit that was Mom’s ❤

Walk on to the left of the house and down my stone stairs and pathway that I built last year and you’ve made it to the area I call “Studio Gardens”. My greenhouse is front and center and you enter in through it to go into my art studio.

The stone path to Studio Gardens

Studio Gardens coming back to life after a long winter’s nap

Studio Gardens is still a work in progress and I hope to get the rest of the area under the deck paved with the large pavers that I only had enough to do half with last year. I’ve got some cleaning up to do, some major weed pulling and soon my tropicals will have their outside vacation under the deck. My sweet spot, right here. You can see my koi pond to the left with the netting still on it from fall and winter.

Just this past weekend I moved that yellowy looking shrub there you see in front of the greenhouse. It’s a spirea (Gold Flame if I remember correctly) and should do a lot better in this new spot that will get southern and western exposure. This area was a wreck last year and even though this is plain right now, it’s a huge improvement to last year. I had a plastic Rubbermaid planting cart parked here and it was ugly.

That’s all I’ve got to share today. Come back and I’ll have more to show you. You can sign up to get my blog in your inbox by typing in your email in the box to the left. I also have a newsletter that I write about monthly on my art mostly. Sign up for it on the left as well. Happy Gardening!

If you’re new to my blog and website have a look at my ‘About’ page in the menu at the top. I’m an artist – a painter mostly. I paint a variety of subjects including cranes, ravens and crows, flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes.