We've had crazy weather lately ... changing from rain, hail, sun, and then back again within minutes! The plants must be a bit bewildered as to what season it is. At least during the showers and occasional downpours I am able to look out and view the profusion of flowers that have burst upon the scene to brighten an otherwise stormy, dark day. One of my favorites is the yellow rhododendron, Hotoi, which is the best I have seen it this year. The flowers are the clearest yellow, and the plant, now over 30 years old, is magnificent. It borders curved steps and is slowly being shaped into a tree form.
It sits across from my new 'Moss Garden' that is edged with the golden Hakonochloa grass. The tongue of grass that edged uphill from our sloped back lawn was slowly being shaded by the Maple, Walnut, and Cornus. Various mosses were creeping in and taking over.... so I let them! A birdbath and ceramic Salmon floating above a sea of Geranium macrorrhizum complete the picture. A few rocks planted out from the former edge of the bed helps to diffuse the boundary. Our new water pagoda beckons the eye into the space behind the trees.
The pagoda is also a handy perch for any bird wanting a drink....you might say that it's a giant water fountain! It's also a wonderful place to sit on a hot day.... listening to the sound of water. I've added Japanese Painted ferns, Hellebores, and Hosta to the shaded areas and touches of Forget-Me-Not and grasses dot the sun speckled edge.
Further down the slope, a large pot sits under the Japanese Maple surrounded by a tapestry mix of groundcovers, and hugged by a twisted copper pipe that came from our old heat pump! ( Found objects are fun to use in the garden!)
On the East side of the house another colorful bed emerges from it's Winter mode. My lovely copper fern sparkles as the yellows and rusts of neighboring plants bring it to life. A scattering of the blue flowers of Forget-Me-Not echo the color. In the center of the bed the small leaves of Rosa glauca rise up in a bluish haze. Iris and Peony will soon take center stage, while the golds of Lonicera and Euphorbia polychroma provide highlights.
Other copper pieces in this bed include a spinning Tulip and a small flower and bird that doubles as a bird feeder. The Purple sage at the edge of the bed also picks up the darker colors of the copper. Across the lawn, an ornamental grass is awakening from it's bed in a large blue pot, and will soon cascade over the edge, mingling with the pale blue flowers of the traveling Forget-Me-Not, which appears in different spots each year!
Our natural world is an ever-changing palette, and the windows of our homes frame it all! Don't forget to look out once in awhile.
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