There are groundcovers and there are what I call “ground huggers”. The ground huggers are the carpets of the garden. The tighter and lower a groundcover hugs the ground, the less chance a weed can sprout. I mulch these xeric plants with gravel. The natural limestone holds a bit of moisture making an ideal culture for these lovely purples.
At about 11 o-clock you can see Globularia cordifolia dwarf. It’s flowers are little puple pom poms. In the middle you can see a prickly ball which is, Prickly Dianthus, Acantholimon hohenackeri. Blooming up front is Bressingham Thyme
The lovely, larger purple flower is: Silky Rock Jasmine, androsace primula “chumby”
This is a view from the back garden. On the left you’ll notice the purple kool-aid scented Variegated Iris. Next to it our native white Penstemon Grandiflorus. Up close on the right side is a Meadow Rue, Thalicturm . The fragrant purple rose is Reine de Violettes. But the “star” of the post is the Lavender Thyme (thymus preacox skorpilii) growing in between the pink limestone path. The Lavender Thymes started with two or three tiny plants. It is a delight.
I previously did a post on this 33 Foot Long Arbor. The beautiful purple ground cover is Blue Wooley Speedwell, veronica pectinata,
Gardens need destinations. And if that destination is slowly revealed even better. An arbor not only is beautiful but it can fill a need. In this case give shade and shelter and a place to rest. And, less you think it is all work and no play for Ted, I have found him asleep on the comfy cushion swing bench., that sits under this arbor. When you first enter the garden you cannot see this arbor. You have to walk down the path and turn to the right behind the Little Pink and Yellow Garden House.
At this point there are hops growing on the arbor. They rise from the 2 front post. The arbor sits on the north west corner of the garden. The problem was that hops want to follow the sun as they grow. So every few mornings I would be out turning them back to the north onto the arbor. And, hops leaves have little hairs on them that are irritating to some persons. I found them to be very irritating. So a couple of years ago, I dug them out. What a workout!
BressinghamThyme carpets the area around the arbor. I love this low growing thyme. Notice the, recently planted hops.
You can see the design in the just finished arbor
I removed the hops and have let grapes grow over the arbor. I’ll show better pictures later this year. Yes this is my arm. I didn’t like the rest of me in the picture.
Huge lemons that weigh 13 0unces each! That is what our little potted eureka lemon tree give us. This morning was sunny enough to wash windows in the little upstairs south facing sitting area. Almost 5 years ago Ted sketched out a remodel job for our upstairs. Eighteen years ago we bought our 1929 bungalow as a fixer-upper. After I dug, planted and layed pathways in the yard, I didn’t want to move, but we wanted more space. With the aid of our talented builder friend, Jeff we have added on to our house twice. First we removed the back wall and added 10 feet to the kitchen. Our kitchen remodel was limited by a huge shade elm tree. The elm tree would not have been our choice for a shade tree, but that is what we have and we do our best to nourish it. Later we took the upstairs attic and turned it into our bedroom. Jeff and Ted made 2 holes in the roof, popping out 2 dormers creating a bathroom on one side and this sitting area in the other. Eight new windows, lots of insulation, paint, plumbing and everything else that it takes to make a room, made our room.
Kumquat, Eureka Lemon and Plumeria spend the winter in the south facing upstairs window. Sometimes we are surprised by the scent of sweet lemon blossoms. In late spring these plants will go out on the front porch. Last year I put the lemon in the yard and the squirrels picked some of the fruit.
Hoya carnosa 'Variegata'
Notice the white “flower” which is actually the variegated leaves. This hoya, or wax plant enjoys bright indirect light. The leaves are thick. “Carnosa” means meaty or thick.
- Begonia Dragon’s Blood
Many years ago I started this begonia by seed. It blooms all winter long in my west window. Notice the snow covered garden in the background. Late winter, I will take cuttings and root them in water and place them in a garden window box. The window box is under the arch that you see in my blogs header picture above.
