A Spring Walk Around The Lower Garden

The new arborvitaes were planted yesterday and we watered them thoroughly. There is a lot of watering in my future for.  I lost so many established trees last year due to the drought.  This is the area where I had four 50 foot pines cut down last year. I also lost quite a few very large arborvitaes too. It's time to rethink this area and I will be doing lots of planting.

Though I tried to remove all of my strawberry plants from this area, they are coming back.  When a perennial is happy where it is planted, it is hard to get rid of it.

Hostas are popping up everywhere. I planted about 50 new hostas last Spring.

I also planted lots of Jack-in-the-Pulpits and here they are, tiny but growing by the day.

My 'Sweet William' is finally starting to spread.  I love this ground cover.

 The Mayflowers, these are simply one of my favorite woodland plants and they are spreading too. It's taken about 5 years to get them to this point.

 

The Butterfly Catcher that I installed last year. (click for a closer look)

 

Floribunda roses planted in galvanized buckets waiting to be moved to their spot.

These plants are Dianthus which came back from last year. The dog is Willie.

I've planted a row of scarlet Azaleas down this hill.  I love the way the new gazebo stands above the garden.  I will be furnishing it in several weeks.

I planted a Forsythia behind the gazebo and in a few years it should provide a beautiful yellow backdrop in the Spring.

I finally have some Blood Roots coming up. The roots of these plants were used by Native Americans to dye fabrics.

I planted an assortment of about 100 ferns last Spring and they are all beginning to show their little faces. I know I am a garden nerd but I find this all so exciting.

This area will eventually be covered in Virginia Bluebells. That's what the small green leaves are. They are native to this area.

Some of the my older ferns coming up between the boulders.

You can't really see them very well but I have planted this whole area with Trilliums and they are about to bloom.  Slowly but surely I am turning this old city property into a woodland filled with native species.  Exactly what it was over a hundred years ago.