It’s been so nice here the past few days that we’ve been trying to stay outside as much as possible.
Sunshine and warm weather, you gotta love it. We’ve been waiting for the weather to make a solid turn and it finally has. Today it’s supposed to reach 67 degrees! How crazy is that!?
Yesterday we knocked a garden project off our list… Planting the area to the left of the barn door.
Other than cutting down an ill placed bush that was there when we moved in last summer, we’ve mostly been ignoring this area until now.
What to do… what to do… Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing until you can figure out exactly what that is. And truthfully, this time last week I still didn’t know.
But then the HH and I were in landscaping negotiations a few days ago about where to plant a small vegetable garden… It came to me {not the vegetable garden but what to do with the space next to the barn door}.
Last fall I had bought 3 little limelight hydrangeas on clearance {70% off thank you very much} as well as 3 allium medusa plants.
Finally, after walking by them for the hundredth time since I bought them last fall, I realized that they would fit the area PERFECTLY!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now then you know there are two plants I absolutely can’t stand; rhododendrons and daylilies.
Yada yada yada… I put my top man on the job. And over the fence the daylilies went. Lucy even got in on the digging action.
And we found an old Horlicks Malted Milk bottle too. Too bad it had a chip out of the top, otherwise I could have sold it for big bucks. Or at least enough for a couple of plants.
If you like purple flowers and are looking for an ornamental plant for your garden, I highly recommend Allium Medusa. Not only does the plant deter deer and rabbits, but they bloom for quite a while and they attract bees and butterflies as well.
They basically look like a chive plant on steroids {but the blooms last much longer}.
It’s such a small area… But it’s already looking better than before.
I’ll need to pick up another Allium Medusa plant to even out the area, but hey, we’re getting there!! I’m excited to see this space in another 2 months when the hydrangeas and allium are in bloom.
Next on the list; replacing the wooden platform, painting the door and painting/hanging a sign over the door. Oh, and finding a couple of pots that are at least 15″ wide to accommodate the trellises I’ve lugged from house to house the past 15 years.
A good terra cotta pot is hard to find… Here’s hoping I can find some good ones.
What’s going on at YOUR place? What’s next on YOUR garden to do list? Curious minds want to know. 😉
Have a great weekend,
~Mavis
Mallory L says
Beautiful! I Can’t wait to see updates as the plants settle in and mature. I bet you could sneak some bulbs along the front for early season color too.
Have you found the Allium Medusa locally for sale? We are slowly building out our garden beds (purchased home last year) and I am looking for an easy-care plant to place between each of our four boxy hedges that are in front of our farmers porch. The space between bushes is about 3-4 feet, with probably 2-3 feet of height clearance. I checked Estabrook’s online and they did not have any in stock.
Mavis Butterfield says
We just stopped by Estabrooks and they said they would have Medusa back in stock in early June!! 🙂
Christa H. says
Looks great! I need to get some of those allium medusa plants.
I am in the middle of editing my pollinator and veggie gardens. I’m adding truck loads of compost and then adding the good quality landscaping fabric in certain areas and burning little holes for my veggies and some flowers. I can’t keep up with the weeding since my areas are so large. I found that some of my hydrangeas, st. john’s wort, and lavendar have made babies in areas I don’t want them so I will dig those out to make a new bed.
I’m finishing the fencing and painting for my chicken house/run as the babies will be arriving in 3 weeks. It’s my first time having chicks, so I’m super excited!
Mavis Butterfield says
Chicks are the BEST!!! You’ll have so much fun.
Holley says
Looks good!
Lynn says
I made the mistake of accepting a gifted daylily many years ago. It has morphed into hundreds! I’ve spent the last 3 years digging them up and giving them away. You’d be amazed at the number of people who want something that spreads. Anyhow, I’m determined to whittle them down to a few small, contained patches and I’ve already had many takers and at least 10 people coming tomorrow! I’ll be digging all weekend and fuming to myself about planting that one daylily all those years ago.
Julie says
I love it when that happens…..a light bulb moment that sets everything in place!(in the garden, anyway)
All spring my flower gardens have been SHINING….perfect flower weather…..until last night…….and a nice hail storm did a major number on some of them…..
I suppose it builds character, but MY it’s depressing!!
Nance says
Everything is planted in the garden. It is in the high 70’s and hitting 80 most days. Next week is suppose to be mid 80’s. It is strawberry season. The strawberries are coming in now. We are enjoying the strawberries so much!
eliz says
rhododendron doesn’t grow here. What is the reason you can’t stand them?
Sue says
You could have potted those daylilies and sold them (or given them away) at your stand.
I love daylilies–especially the rebloomers Happy Returns and Rosy Returns.
The exception is Stella d’Oros. That shade of golden yellow is just as pukey as marigolds, which I detest.
Diana says
I just got a huge load of mulch delivered and have been filling the gorilla cart and hauling it all over the property. I am redoing the pathways around the garden beds, putting the mulch over a weed barrier cloth. Getting lots of exercise!
DianeGA says
I read that limelight hydrangeas grow 6 to 10 feet tall. Won’t that make them too big planted under your windows? And right next to your building? They do look like a really pretty bloom.
Also, I’ve never grown alliums group before. Do the seed heads, spread the plant everywhere or do they just spread nicely as a club? Those also look very pretty.
Thank you!
Mavis Butterfield says
I bought the little limelights, they only grow 3-5 feet tall/wide. 🙂 Alliums Medusa can get up to 24″ wide. I’m not worried. It would take years… And I could always move them.