Before and After. April - October 2009

Copyright 2009 TatyanaS

The following is a report about the project that has been started in April 2009.

For five years, the area along the garage wall was not getting any attention. Three yellow spots on the picture below are the grasses planted there temporarily, before the right spot for them would be found. Two of them were Moor grass (Molinia "Variegata"), and one was Japanese Blood grass.

The long naked wall bothered me, and planting started.
Professional help (see the picture below) was hired at a rate of $4 per planting hole. A pick-axe was used since the native soil here is sandy with a lot of rocks ranging in size from pebbles to two- pounders.

First, two climbing hydrangeas came (H. petiolaris "Mirranda"and Schizophragma hydrangeoides "Moonlight"), followed by three clumps of Bowles' Golden grass (Milium effusum "Aureum") and several hostas. I hope the hydrangeas won't turn to monster plants described in one of the posts written by someone from blotanists.

Then, came magnolia Vine Eastern Prince (Schizandrs chinensis) - on the right corner. This is one of the vines which can tolerate shade. It is originally from northern China and the Russian Far East (the post about it is here This Plant Is A WWII Hero. (Vine For Shade) ). I like it for its beautiful foliage as well as its pests- and disease resistance.

Pink Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectablis Pink) was happy to get more space after sitting for several years in a container.

A couple of Coleuses add color to otherwise green and white palette, especially after the Bleeding Heart finishes blooming.

Bowles' Golden grass is the fastest growing plant in a new border . With such growth, I might need to divide it by next fall.

Below is the current view. All the plants seem to be happy. Helleborus foetidus "Gold bullion" is a baby plant which has been moved from the mother plant growing in front of the house. The post about it is here Hellebores Foetidus - A Year-Round Beauty . The only plant that I might replace is the Japanese Blood grass which does best in full sun. What I have here is part shade with several hours of afternoon sun.

Generally speaking, I am pleased with the result. Different shades of green, whites of variegated grasses and hydrangea blooms, plus pink & white blooms of a bleeding heart create a calm but bright border. Transplanted tiny plants of Helleborus niger should grow to good size clumps, fill the empty space and will add to the border's texture.

What would I do different? I would move the stepping stone path further from the wall and make the bed's edge curved. But, since the stepping stones were laid before the idea of having this bed was born, the shape and size of it were predetermined. Anyway, it's better than a narrow strip of land covered with mulch.

The question that I have: Do I need to remove the supports for the climbing hydrangeas? I read that these plants are so strong they will climb the wall without any help. Actually, I got scared after I read the post which I mentioned above. The author wrote how huge and unruly her plant became. Any advice?

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