Now that I've got all the irises back in the ground, I'm focusing on the Japanese bloodgrass. It is a medium-height grass. The top half of its soft blades are deep red. When I planted it, I didn't know it was so invasive! I only bought three six-inch pots and divided them. I put a little beside each boulder in my main garden. It got to where you couldn't see the boulders!
I worked out a trade deal with a handyman to help me with some heavy work. He dug up all the grass (and irises) for me. Now it's in two big piles waiting to be replanted in different locations.
The two arrows in this first picture point to what is left of the piles he dug up. The X marks my almost diminished much pile. The yellow line is a rough outline of where my garden will curve around the front of the house. The lower right corner shows where the rocks will border on the gravel drive's parking area. I really need to post a video to show this well.
The picture below is a close-up of the border by the gravel driveway. It is wide here, but will taper down as it leaves the driveway area. I'm using the big rocks to trap the bloodgrass. I'm not putting any back in the middle of the garden where it is harder to control without disturbing my other plants. I learned my lesson!
Couldn't resist putting in a few pics of Sadie... She's my yellow lab. We adopted her a year ago. She is lying next to the 'sitting' rock. Last week I finished (almost) this iris bed. I added stepping stones to define the pathway. Hopefully it will inspire people (grandkids) to not walk through the flowers! The yellow X marks the side of the ugly green transformer box. It will later be surrounded by the picket fence. I hope these bulbs thrive despite the freezes we've had the last two nights. I have way too many plants to cover everything! And we get a lot of wind here. It would be hard to keep them covered. Behind, and just to the left of the wheel-barrow is a willow bush. That is where all these bulbs used to be. The shrub grew much faster than I anticipated! It was a baby one and one-half years ago... Now it's eight feet tall!
This is the angle at which you would approach the house. The picket fence does a nice job of camouflaging the big green box. There is several more feet of this garden to the left with another smaller boulder. This is directly opposite the corner where the new rocks and grass are.
The picture below is a close-up of the border by the gravel driveway. It is wide here, but will taper down as it leaves the driveway area. I'm using the big rocks to trap the bloodgrass. I'm not putting any back in the middle of the garden where it is harder to control without disturbing my other plants. I learned my lesson!
The arrow in this next picture is where the concrete drive meets the gravel. The yellow line illustrates the curve of the concrete up the slope. The pile of smooth rocks to the left of the arrow are just piled there. They won't be in the finished border. The ground-covers in the center top of this picture will be spread on down the slope to fill in around the plants I am adding. About where the tree is at the center top is where the concrete drive meets the sidewalk that leads around to the front porch. I stained it the color of our decks.
Couldn't resist putting in a few pics of Sadie... She's my yellow lab. We adopted her a year ago. She is lying next to the 'sitting' rock. Last week I finished (almost) this iris bed. I added stepping stones to define the pathway. Hopefully it will inspire people (grandkids) to not walk through the flowers! The yellow X marks the side of the ugly green transformer box. It will later be surrounded by the picket fence. I hope these bulbs thrive despite the freezes we've had the last two nights. I have way too many plants to cover everything! And we get a lot of wind here. It would be hard to keep them covered. Behind, and just to the left of the wheel-barrow is a willow bush. That is where all these bulbs used to be. The shrub grew much faster than I anticipated! It was a baby one and one-half years ago... Now it's eight feet tall!
This is the angle at which you would approach the house. The picket fence does a nice job of camouflaging the big green box. There is several more feet of this garden to the left with another smaller boulder. This is directly opposite the corner where the new rocks and grass are.
Just had to put one more of Sadie.
Here she is listening to me for a change!
Here you can see the parking area in the top right corner and the concrete drive at the bottom. I have the rocks sweeping around the corner. The arrows mark some of the grass surrounded by the rocks. Ignore the mess. I clean when I'm done.
Notice the big bare spot where the grass used to be. This pile is as big as a large bathroom and is only half of what he dug up! Remember, it all started with three six-inch pots!
I added some small patches where the arrows are. (Will put one where the X is tomorrow.) I'll be sure to keep my eye on it and not let it get out-of-hand here. This corner is topped with jelly-pebbles. Notice my little sack-race kids. A lovely gift from my mother-in-law. The tree is a weeping cherry. I have drain tile around the base until it gets older because I have six cats! It's in the perfect spot for a scratching post! The cats love sunning themselves on the boulders.
This is the same corner at a different angle. I already cut this grass back for spring.
This circle marks where they dug up this patch of grass. See why we couldn't see the boulders? The green plant is a rescue... My best friend dug it up to make room for some of the bulbs I took her. When I saw them laid on the ground, I brought them home and planted them. They don't look that healthy, do they...
This is what's left of one pile. I took two big loads down to a friend already!
More bare spots where the grass used to be. This picture was taken from my front porch. In the lower left corner you'll see more rocks. There is a rock garden across the front of the porch. It is filled with jelly-pebbles, larger rocks and more of the little kids playing.
Here you can see the parking area in the top right corner and the concrete drive at the bottom. I have the rocks sweeping around the corner. The arrows mark some of the grass surrounded by the rocks. Ignore the mess. I clean when I'm done.
Notice the big bare spot where the grass used to be. This pile is as big as a large bathroom and is only half of what he dug up! Remember, it all started with three six-inch pots!
I added some small patches where the arrows are. (Will put one where the X is tomorrow.) I'll be sure to keep my eye on it and not let it get out-of-hand here. This corner is topped with jelly-pebbles. Notice my little sack-race kids. A lovely gift from my mother-in-law. The tree is a weeping cherry. I have drain tile around the base until it gets older because I have six cats! It's in the perfect spot for a scratching post! The cats love sunning themselves on the boulders.
This is the same corner at a different angle. I already cut this grass back for spring.
Still waiting on new growth. I hoped it survived being on top of the ground for so long. The rock border separates the jelly-pebbles from the mulch and ground covers. Notice the color of the sidewalk.
This circle marks where they dug up this patch of grass. See why we couldn't see the boulders? The green plant is a rescue... My best friend dug it up to make room for some of the bulbs I took her. When I saw them laid on the ground, I brought them home and planted them. They don't look that healthy, do they...
This is what's left of one pile. I took two big loads down to a friend already!
More bare spots where the grass used to be. This picture was taken from my front porch. In the lower left corner you'll see more rocks. There is a rock garden across the front of the porch. It is filled with jelly-pebbles, larger rocks and more of the little kids playing.
After I get the porch repainted this summer, I'll post pics showing everything in full color. The concrete porch is a mustard yellow. The colors in this part of the garden are green, yellow, and deep burgundy-red. The house is pale yellow with white trim and green shutters.
When I do the video of the garden, I'll be sure to include the view I have while sitting in my rocking chair. Ah, one of my favorite spots!
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