Coloring my world

I have never had very good luck with plants. This was probably due to not trying very hard. Since moving into the new house, though, I have found that I WANT to make the yard prettier and to put my stamp on the appearance of our slice of earth, and so I’ve dived into gardening.

So far, that’s taken life in the form of a few trees, 3 small flower beds, and a lot of seedlings.

I’m going for multi-sensory functionality, and by that I mean a yard that appeals to the eyes, tongue, nose and skin (well, and ears a bit, too.

For the eyes, there will be the beauty of the multiple hydrangea shrubs. 8 purple Masjas which are growing in pots now, and 5 other 2-year-old plants I bought from a grower. For those wanting to see what they would look like, I got one each of Nikko Blue, All Summer Beauty, Trophy, Oregon Pride and Madame Emile Mouillere mopheads. They should be blooming next summer 🙂

In addition, there are various perennials and annuals in baskets (vincas, lantanas and moss roses) and I have a lovely 5′, 4-trunk pygmy date palm in a 15-gallon pot in the back yard (its rustling fronds contribute to pleasing the ears) and a neighboring coral bark japanese maple (about 2′ tall). There are also two little sapling crape myrtles, which are in pots (their location is TBD)… they will be a deep dark cherry red when they bloom. (Dynamite strain.)

For the tongue, I’ve got 3 little citrus trees growing in the back yard: an improved meyer lemon, a satsuma (orange) and a limequat. The limequat has already been harvested twice and I made a pie (think “key lime”) with its little fruits. It is already making another round of tiny little fruit. Yay! In addition, I’m starting some seeds of peppermint (heirloom), for next spring. We also received a fig tree from friends as a moving-in gift, and it is exploding with leaves in the front yard. It went from a 5′ stick to about a 7′ green tree in less than 3 months. Loving life!

For the nose, I’m growing moonflowers on the front fence, and will sow the seeds of munstead lavender (which will also contribute to the visual appeal) later. I also have some creeping thyme in pots, and mixed 4 o’clocks and hummingbird trumpet vines in peat pellets.

So, lots going on.

Eventually, I want the back yard to be done up with a patio, pond and play area, so that it can become our own little park for enjoyment and for sharing with friends and family.

But, I’ll start with the plants and work my way around to the other stuff once I get the green thumb going.

I will post photos of the hortilogical endeavors later on, but here are some from the growers and other sources to show what’s in store: