We bought our house last year in April, but it's taken us awhile to get things going in terms of the landscaping. Since our house is in a brand new subdivision, the builder had done some basic things - for instance, prior to the sale landscapers were hired to put down sod in the front yard and plant hollies, a hawthorne bush (we think), a crepe myrtle & some stella d'oro daylilies in a bed located off the front porch, but the overall look and feel wasn't quite the vibrant, bird and butterfly-friendly approach that I'm looking to cultivate (pun intended).
The picture to the left is an image of the house just after we bought it in April. As you can see the landscaping is pretty ho-hum. So far, to liven things up mom, dad and I planted bulbs (crocuses, daffodils & tulips) in the fall, and then added French lavender, purple asters & red snapdragons (just a few). Since northern Georgia is experiencing a severe drought and watering was restricted and then prohibited during the summer, I fear the asters did not make it (we still have to pull them up and look at the root ball to make sure that they really have gone off to the great garden in the sky). However, the lavender did great (below and to your left is a picture of a butterfly enjoying the lavender last summer), and the snapdragons seemed to have bounced back nicely.
Meanwhile, the bulbs that we planted in the fall started to come up in February; amazingly, they were actually blooming by the end of February, but the others took a little while longer to make an appearance. The crocuses flowered after the daffodils and the tulips have just recently started blooming. However, since the bed still looks a little bare mom and I went a bit crazy on one of our trips to Lowes while she and dad were visiting at the beginning of March. We picked up some gorgeous Grace Ward lithodora, which has absolutely stunning true blue flowers and pretty green foliage for those that aren't familiar with it, a variegated and an apricot twist wallflower & a violet lace lavender. During the course of other trips to Home Depot and Lowes, we also acquired callas, Asiatic lilies (Cancun), & pastel mixed freesias to go with the mixed gladioli that I bought in February and have yet to plant. Add to that the lily of the valley, buddelia (commonly known as butterfly bush) & the various and sundry other items that I purchased from Michigan Bulb & Gurneys, and I've got a heck of a lot of planting to do! With a little luck, it should all turn out quite nicely. I'll post photos and updates as they become available... keep your fingers crossed for me in the meantime!
The picture to the left is an image of the house just after we bought it in April. As you can see the landscaping is pretty ho-hum. So far, to liven things up mom, dad and I planted bulbs (crocuses, daffodils & tulips) in the fall, and then added French lavender, purple asters & red snapdragons (just a few). Since northern Georgia is experiencing a severe drought and watering was restricted and then prohibited during the summer, I fear the asters did not make it (we still have to pull them up and look at the root ball to make sure that they really have gone off to the great garden in the sky). However, the lavender did great (below and to your left is a picture of a butterfly enjoying the lavender last summer), and the snapdragons seemed to have bounced back nicely.
Meanwhile, the bulbs that we planted in the fall started to come up in February; amazingly, they were actually blooming by the end of February, but the others took a little while longer to make an appearance. The crocuses flowered after the daffodils and the tulips have just recently started blooming. However, since the bed still looks a little bare mom and I went a bit crazy on one of our trips to Lowes while she and dad were visiting at the beginning of March. We picked up some gorgeous Grace Ward lithodora, which has absolutely stunning true blue flowers and pretty green foliage for those that aren't familiar with it, a variegated and an apricot twist wallflower & a violet lace lavender. During the course of other trips to Home Depot and Lowes, we also acquired callas, Asiatic lilies (Cancun), & pastel mixed freesias to go with the mixed gladioli that I bought in February and have yet to plant. Add to that the lily of the valley, buddelia (commonly known as butterfly bush) & the various and sundry other items that I purchased from Michigan Bulb & Gurneys, and I've got a heck of a lot of planting to do! With a little luck, it should all turn out quite nicely. I'll post photos and updates as they become available... keep your fingers crossed for me in the meantime!
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