With the last stretch of nice weather, I was finally able to address the issue chronicled at the end of this post.
Digging out the area and storing the soil in wheelbarrows and tarps was the hardest part.
Meanwhile, I unrolled the wire mesh and weighted it down with rocks to help it uncurl. The plain old garden dirt was mixed with 1/4-10 gravel and dark hemlock mulch before returning it to the screened bed.
Several plants had been waiting in pots (one for years) for this day. Two Acorus gramineus variegatus from Home Depot were divided into enough plugs to cover a large area. The pot in the above photo contains Itea ilicifolia, a plant I have high hopes for. See it here on Plant Lust. I’ve killed it before, but maybe the care that went into preparing this bed will do the trick.
In the foreground is the lovely small tree that inspired the making of this bed. It has lived in a large pot for several years, and it was showing signs of longing for liberation. I thought it was ‘Red Bells’, but when I compare it to the excellent photos on Plant Lust, I think, instead, it is Enkianthus campanulatis var. sikokianthus. To its right is Hypericum inodorum ‘Albury Purple’. Impossible to see at this stage is Disporum hookerii. The sweet flag plugs take up the middle of the bed, where their root system is meant to protect the water lines beneath. In the distance, on the left, is a Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana). An Osmanthus too small to see is somewhere there in the middle distance, and on the right is the Itea. Where the new bed joins an existing bed a vigorous ground cover of Hypericum ‘Brigadoon’ will pretty rapidly migrate into the bare patches.
Looking west…
And one last shot, looking east. Take That! evil gophers! With this project taken care of, I guess it’s back to weeding for me.
The bed is looking so much better. Your plants look happy out of their pots and into the ground.
I’m seeing that there are some advantages to life on the rocks.
I do not envy you your gopher problem. I can’t wait to see this come together–you have so much good color and texture.
Shirley~ We all have our crosses, er, rocks, to bear.
Heather~Your front yard projects inspired me.
That new bed certainly looks great. It won’t be long until it looks like it’s always been there!
I don’t specifically know that cultivar of Ekianthus but they have astounding colour in Autumn.
Angie~and charming dangling bells in the spring…it’s a winner!
The new bed looks good already! Looking forward to seeing pics of it again later in the season 🙂
The new bed looks wonderful and you have some great plants for it too. I can understand your gopher frustration, I had woodchucks that lived under our shed in my old garden back in Massachusetts, they were the bane of my existence. Wire mesh helped a lot.
I think I must have gophers,or maybe just moles. I’m finding tulips in places I know I wouldn’t have planted them.
Looks lovely in that setting !
You’ve been very busy! Looks fabulous.
I’m noticing gopher mounds around the neighborhood (especially in the park) and it’s making me a little nervous.
Mark & Gaz~Me too. It will probably take a couple of years to really get established, but I am often surprised by how quickly things come together.
Alison~Some of the most mild-mannered people I know turn apoplectic at the mere mention of these critters.
Linda~I noticed just yesterday that some of my missing daffys are turning up in the neighbor’s yard.
Loree~Be afraid…be very afraid.
Fun! I like it. Jen of Muddy Boot Dreams has a photo of Red Bells Enkianthus and here you are with another Enkianthus. Methinks the plant gods are telling me something. If only I had the room. But wait, I could dig up more lawn. 🙂
Grace~It’s pretty slow growing and tops out at about twelve feet. Bye bye lawn.
Looking good. There’s not much more optimistic than a patch of new weed- and gopher-free planting space. Let’s hope the mesh deters the creatures from down below!
James~Creatures below, creatures above…it’s a regular war zone out there. I’ve had pretty good luck with the wire mesh method so far. Now it’s time to mix up some of the evil brew to deter the deer and sapsuckers.
The new bed looks great! Happy new bed to you, happy new bed to you, happy new bed dear Ricky! Happy new bed to you!
Peter~Now if only I could hear your melodic voice…I’m imagining it.