Hot

What more can be said?  A whole week of 90+. Thank God we had plenty of rain so far so that the plants are in good shape going into this.  But of course I am anxiously attending every one of my substantial new aquisitions this year.  My planting list for this spring, apart from the professionally planted trees and shrubs, would include...

*Dwarf clethra Hummingbird I snagged for $5 each at Lowe's on clearance

*Two Little Henry Virginia Sweetspire also on clearance but alas not for $5

*Three additional blueberries I got with $$ my grateful MIL gave me after I took her for cataract surgery and hung with her through post-sedation dizziness and vomiting-- naturally I don't expect or wish for recompense, but the blueberries are awfully nice <G> Planted with a bucketful of peat and some pelletized sulphur and crossed fingers.  OK so far.

*Sedums and aurelia for the rock garden, Knock-outs, baptisia, veronica and catmint for Kit Island

plus all the other stuff.  Hydrangea look all withery by day but when I take a sounding they're not too dry, just too hot :(  Terrified of overwatering the new evergreens but under is no good either in this heat.  Limelights are holding up great and just coming into bloom... fabulous plants.

So:  the current focus of my brainpower, such as it is, is the West Bed, which will eventually be something like 26' by about 10-12 feet, earlier discussed.  For review--    Part of this bed is prepared with topsoil over plain brown paper and thick hardwood mulch over that, so it should be nice come fall.  The edges need to be extended  into a sinuous and gracious curve, which I will get to hopefully in the next month.  But MAINLY I need to plan this space so I'm pleased with it and not looking at a haphazard vexation.  This is going to a hot area against yellow siding with lots of pounding afternoon sun. I want repetition, I want charm (the entrance to the garden from the garage cuts through it), and I want to further the color scheme I have going back there, which is some fairly hot pinks/purples/blues, perhaps with some cooling lime-y greens.

Some ideas:  stepping stones flanked by iris-- as in

leading to the garage door.  A little boxwood tucked in near the front at each side.  Some firmly pink peonies tucked in there.  Brian wanted a Dragonlady holly in there.  I need some repetitive shrubs to underplant the Holly/tall thing.  Could do mixed Neon Flash or A Waterer spirea with caryopteris, although the bloom times would not be optimal.  Little Lime?  The greeny color of the new blossoms is very nice.  Could do more KO roses, knaturally, but I think the pink kind would look urpy with the Japanese maple.  I need something calm and green and not too glamorous so that the little specimen bits stick out.  Hmmmm.....

Here's a view I took earlier in the summer from the back corner of the yard.  Just fun to see the forms evolving.  Long way to go, admittedly.

Behind the spruce is Kit Island.