My garden....how it has blossomed and changed

[olena]

I came across pictures of our yard when we bought this house 2 years ago. I'd never had a yard, but I loved pretty flowers and I started planting. The yard looks so much different now. Even the grass is better. The Bermuda was dormant when we bought it, but the lawn was awful when it started coming back in the spring. I can just see a huge difference in everything. It made me realize how much work Chris and I have put into it. Here are some comparisons to see what I mean.

2000....two rose bushes

2002 Two butterfly bushes and irises, which hadn't come up yet.

2000......One side of garage with dying/dead azealeas

2002.....replanted bed with elephant ears & red rocks

2000....splotchy lawn

2002....new bed with glads, dahlias and stargazers

2000.....along the fence were bare spots and weed patches

2002......a few flower beds and lots of color

2000.....walkway

2002.....planted a gardenia, elephant ear, purple heart, some lilies and 2 spring flower beds. I'm waiting to see how they come up this year....

 

[amid chaos]

VERY nice...I love before and after pictures.

 

[Tulirose]

That's the great thing about cameras, because we forget how things were. Pictures remind us. I love all the new improvements including the healthier looking grass. (I noticed there were two new satellite dishes too! )

 

[olena]

Originally posted by Tulirose
(I noticed there were two new satellite dishes too! )

A must for every garden.....

 

[amid chaos]

I dreamed of your purple glads...just love them...going to find some of those this spring.

 

[olena]

Vanessa, I think they're the Windsong variety. At least, that's what the box said.

 

[gina2000]

Absolutely lovely! Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Love the pics.. what was the royal blue leafy thing.. I wish I could plant gardenias.. they are so touchy here in the Northeast....I love butterfly bushes, they are so hardy and just colorful... I will take some pics this year and post them as I have this huge lot and I have planted every single thing on it.. I do well with St. John's wort here and my feeling if one does well.. I get other..

I cannot get my Mountain Laurels to cooperate.. they do not look well.. Can you all tell me what you use to feed your trees and bushes.. I am thinking they could use something and I am not sure what to use.. Thanks.

 

[Snowwark]

Thank you Olena, very nice!

I'm also curious about the blue plants, the colour is so vibrant, I love it!

Marsha, here's a link to some info on Mountain Laurel . I hope it helps.

Any other Buds grow Mountain Laurel?

 

[gina2000]

I had one mountain laurel in my side garden. It was the most beautiful plant I had ever seen. (Notice the past tense on this one). The leaves look like smaller, daintier rhododendron leaves, the flowers, beautiful clusters of tiny magic. I fed it occasionally but to no avail. The bush was old....as old as my home....and it was tired.

Last year it took a nosedive and went to sleep ..... permanently. I so loved that bush.

Don't ask me what I did wrong....in my heart I did nothing wrong....it just had had its time.

 

[olena]

Is this what you're curious about?

It's Purple Heart. I've also seen it called Purple Queen. It's VERY hardy and returns every year.....bushier than ever. It's easy to root. I cut off sprigs and poke them all over.....especially into pots. It thrives here and the drought we've had recently hardly affected it.

Purple Heart

More on Purple Heart

 

[Snowwark]

Thank you Olena! I like how the colour looks in your pics best. A good plant for our Florida Buds.

 

[olena]

Yes, it is. Mine is dormant right now. I was just in Orlando and I noticed it around town....thriving in the winter, I bet the last freeze they had did it in though.

 

[sammi]

What a startling change. And really beautiful. I love before and after pictures!

 

[TimNDansMom]

Are those Stargazer Lillies, Olena? They look beautiful with the Purple Hearts!

 

[olena]

Yes they are and thank you....