There was never a plan to work on this part of the garden during the 2023 growing season. We agreed that by keeping a laser-like focus on the Arrival Court and adjacent Entry Garden, we could avoid the half-assed crawling toward an undefined sense of semi-completion that is the the hallmark of my work (past examples include doors without handles, live wires protruding from outlets, and Mondrian-like paint swatches on walls that I try to fob off as “a look”).
For a long time echinaceas seemed only to come in a kind of mauvey pink but, in the last few years, I've been able to pink up some wonderful corals and vivid oranges. I wonder if these would make good transition hues amongst your reds and purples? They are an excellent July and August flower, in addition to being indigenous. I think they'd be very friendly to your red hot pokers.
It's all sounding so good. It's always a learning process, innit? One of the great pleasures I've come to in my now mature garden, is the amending and enriching of the soil. I love how the plants respond, and how a richly manured (sheep, my preference) mulching makes the garden look so cared for. I didn't pay enough attention to the soil in my younger gardening days, just wanting to get things growing and blooming. As the Mennonites up here say: "We grow too soon old and too late smart".
Oh how I'd love to stroll through your gardens and into the woods! Sounds lovely. Your description of the sunset pattern made me think of chakra colors (with green and blue missing, though you'd get the green with foliage). I'm enjoying your processes.
Thanks Terri. Gardening is definitely a process, whether you're creating something new or just tinkering with what's already in place. I've slowly come to the realization that process is the point of it all and it's very satisfying.
Large or small it seems that a garden never stops giving back. Just this morning I was adjusting some large stepping stones and came across a Northern Two-Lined Salamander, some juvenile Stag Beetles, a couple of baby Fireflies testing their wings, and a very loud Grey Tree Frog. All these without moving from one sitting position
For a long time echinaceas seemed only to come in a kind of mauvey pink but, in the last few years, I've been able to pink up some wonderful corals and vivid oranges. I wonder if these would make good transition hues amongst your reds and purples? They are an excellent July and August flower, in addition to being indigenous. I think they'd be very friendly to your red hot pokers.
It's all sounding so good. It's always a learning process, innit? One of the great pleasures I've come to in my now mature garden, is the amending and enriching of the soil. I love how the plants respond, and how a richly manured (sheep, my preference) mulching makes the garden look so cared for. I didn't pay enough attention to the soil in my younger gardening days, just wanting to get things growing and blooming. As the Mennonites up here say: "We grow too soon old and too late smart".
Thanks for the suggestion! We have echinaceas in other areas but haven't explored the possibility of using them in the Hot Garden yet.
Oh how I'd love to stroll through your gardens and into the woods! Sounds lovely. Your description of the sunset pattern made me think of chakra colors (with green and blue missing, though you'd get the green with foliage). I'm enjoying your processes.
Thanks Terri. Gardening is definitely a process, whether you're creating something new or just tinkering with what's already in place. I've slowly come to the realization that process is the point of it all and it's very satisfying.
Bravi Chris and Laura! You will surely have a true paradise by mid summer. Thanks for sharing the wonders of gardening.
Carole M
Large or small it seems that a garden never stops giving back. Just this morning I was adjusting some large stepping stones and came across a Northern Two-Lined Salamander, some juvenile Stag Beetles, a couple of baby Fireflies testing their wings, and a very loud Grey Tree Frog. All these without moving from one sitting position