belated update on 2007

A new year, and a new beginning. Since my last post there have been several changes to my front yard garden. In the northeastern (and sunniest) corner, I have planted a Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem,' and in the southeastern corner a Cornus florida 'Cherokee Princess.' The boxwoods and tall grasses are gone, and I have enlarged the bed bordering the house, and mixed in a Ford F120 bed's worth of compost. So far I have planted:
10 Allium sphaerocephalon bulbs
10 Dutch irish 'Blue star'
10 Anemone nemorosa 'De Caen White'
10 Crocus 'Ladykiller'
30 Tulipa 'Triumph'
50 Crocus 'Dark Blue'
1 Caryopteris cladonensis 'Grand Bleu'
2 Caryopteris cladonensis 'Dark Knight'
4 Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'
2 Sage 'May Night'
1 Aster 'Purple Dome'
1 Russian Sage 'Little Spires'
1 Maidenhair Fern
1 Aster divaricatus
1 Camellia sassanqua x oleifera x hiemalis 'Winter's Snowman'
1 Camellia 'Northern Exposure'

I have also set up a seedling starter area in the basement, where I am about to start seeds of Baptisia australis, and a number of plants for my backyard potager. I am also excited to receive orders of White Bleeding Heart, Bunchberry, Wild Geranium, Virginia Bluebells, Bloodroot, and Trillium in the near future, and also bare-root rose orders of Mme Alfred Carriere (climbing) and The Generous Gardener.

A front yard garden

Having moved away from Kansas, the first home of my very own, and, perhaps more importantly, my very first garden, I have been anxious to find a way to start gardening again. I find myself in the surreal condition of moving back into my childhood home after ten years away—although the main structure of the house is the same, the atmosphere and general condition are unsettlingly changed (much like Arlington in general). The azaleas on the south side of the house appear healthy, but the eastern and northern facing shrubs (azaleas and rhododendrons) have mostly died back or are gone entirely. Also gone are the mature maples that were on each corner of the front of the yard, and the matching holly bushes flanking the front walkway.
A blank canvas! Well, almost blank; there remain a couple of overgrown boxwood-like shrubs, a pair of towering clumps of grass immediately in front of them, and a couple of thriving lavenders. After finishing Liz Primeau’s “Front Yard Gardens—Growing More Than Grass,” I’m ready to banish all of those scraggly green blades from the front lawn, but will have to settle for an enlarged bed flanking the front foundation and walkway.
Unlike my last garden, which was essentially patched together from specimens that caught my eye at the local nurseries, I have been almost obsessively scanning the catalogs and plant websites to find the right plants for my new space. I’m settling on a theme of white, blue, and deep purple flowers, with a few hints of pale pink and bright red. I am most excited about including camellias and Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ in the garden. The Camellia cultivars that I’m considering are ‘Quintessence,’ ‘April Dawn,’ ‘April Remembered,’ and ‘Mine-no-Yuki,’ all of which are advertised in the Greer Gardens catalog.
The other plants in my list at this point: (spring flowering) irises (several varieties), tulips (the pale parrot varieties are catching my eye, but some bright classic reds are also in order), columbines (which ever ones are blue and don’t need a tremendous amount of drainage), and possibly some white dicentras, more for the fern-like leaves than for anything else. On one corner of the lot I plan to plant a Magnolia tree, which must be limited in height due to an adjacent powerline. I’m considering several in the “Girls” series and some of the stellatas. Then there are the peonies. I absolutely love the tree peonies, and will plant several if my budget and space allow. Hellebores have been catching my imagination, but I’m not sure how they will do in this acidic soil.
(summer flowering) I’m determined to establish a climbing rose on the front pillars of the house, and am considering ‘Mme Alfred Carriere’ and the evergreen ‘Felicite Perpetue.’ Also, Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Sikes Dwarf,” or possibly ‘Pee Wee’ depending on space constraints. Blue and purple will be supplied by Baptisia australis or possibly B. minor, and Allium sphaerocephalum, if they will tolerate conditions here. Dianthus in white hues will provide some low-growing border interest.
(fall flowering) Possibly Cleome and Chyrsanthemum for white flowers (along with the Anemone), Sage and Caryopsis for blues. I’m also intrigued by Cotinus coggyaria ‘Royal Purple’ for its lovely foliage and color, but am afraid that it will take up more space than I have.