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Last Wednesday, my grandmother died. It was so very sad. I want to write a really long post about it but I just don't have it in me yet. The funeral is tomorrow and I know it's going to be hard... so I just don't have the emotional energy to write it at this point.
I'm tired and sore because I had a T-Tapp class yesterday. I'll write more on it later, after I recover.
Yes! I have found red hydrangeas at my local Lowe's. The final stages of the project are about to commenceI I am so jazzed.
None of the beds get a lot of sun, even in high summer. It has to do with the way the house is oriented. It faces north(ish) and the sun passes over the roof of the house from east to west pretty much in a straight line. So on that note, I think I'm going to put variegated caladiums (also known as "elephant ears") in front of the hydrangea and in the right hand bed.
I was all excited because I thought I would do it this weekend, but then I realized that I have to mow the yard and finish preparing the beds... then the soil needs to rest a bit before I plant anything. I need time for the fertilizer to work its way into the soil as well. So I will probably finish preparing the beds and trimming the bushes this Saturday, then plant the stuff towards the end of next week.
Whew. The end is nigh. But don't ask me about the rock garden area. I shudder at the thought of trying to fix that nightmare.
I know you all love details, so without further adieu:
From reader Jody:
Second: the shrub probably hasn't shipped yet because the company doesn't think it's ready to go into the ground in your growing zone. Unless it's a really shady company, trust their opinion, and wait for the shrub to arrive. I mean, it's barely mid-April, is there some big rush? Gardens tend to peak each year in June.
The shrub in question is a hydrangea. We're supposed to plant them in early April here (USDA zone 8). It's not a shady company, just and unprepared one. Apparently they grossly underestimated the amout of orders they were going to get this year, and as such they are way, way behind on their orders.
Thing is I was at Lowe's last week and they have bigger (i.e. older, more mature) hydrangeas for about half the price of the internet place. The only difference is that the internet hydrangeas are red, while the Lowe's hydrangeas are pink. I love the red. I wanted the red. I had the whole garden planned with the red.
To make matters worse, I measured today and I have about 30 feet of space to cover with the hydrangea... and I only ordered 5 shrubs which eventually grow to 3-4 feet high and wide. Now I could intersperse them with white hydrangea from the same place (red and white would look gorgeous, plus they are my high school colors). But now I am on the fence in a major way. I could have hydrangeas tomorrow if I go with the pink.
So, now, with visuals.
The hydrangeas are going to go in front of the house in the long bed here. Then I want to put something in front of them, but I don't know what. There won't be a lot of space left, but I think something decorative would be nice.
I am going to plant blue impatiens (and maybe white ones if I don't have enough blue) in this bed under the tree. I am growing the blue impatiens at the house.
I am totally at a loss as to what to do with this bed.
Suggestions, expertise, etc., are very welcome!
I just wanted my yard to look nice. I can't figure out precisely where I went wrong. Oh, wait, yes I can - I (typically) grossly underestimated the time, expense, and sun availability in my front yard when I planned this stupid landscaping project.
I started growing my seeds and planned my plants for the yard before all the leaves had grown in on the trees. I thought I had full sun in at least one of the beds, but after the leaves arrived, I realized that I had NO direct sun in ANY of the beds. Oops. Now I have 30 sun loving plants sitting on my back patio with nowhere to go. I also underestimated the time it would take to grow the seeds, and the amount of space I had to cover.
I hate groundcovers, but in desperation I think I am going to have to pay for groundcovers to be installed over the majority of the shade beds. Annuals are too expensive and take too long to grow. So the project is going to end up being way more expensive than I initially planned.
To make matters worse, I ordered the perfect shrub to border the house... 6 weeks ago. It has yet to be shipped. I am about to cancel the order and go with a less pretty option. Frustration. Endless, crazy frustration.
Compounding this is that I also underestimated how mad R would be about this whole thing, He is Pissed. Yes, Pissed with a capital P. he has taken to needling me about how I will surely never be finished and I will have wasted my time and money. So now I can't just let it lie, I HAVE to finish it. I want to finish it. But I don't want to go broke doing it.
I'm tired. Stupid yard. Stupid house.
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