The Shaded Side

I must first say, "Thank you, Grandmom!" My anxiety about the yard subsided with the wisdom in a suggestion: think of each area as its own. While it's in my nature to see the trees over the forest, the yard was definitely one area I needed to be reminded to do just that.


It was much to my delight to spend an afternoon at the green house picking out shade plants for one such area. Starting in the front of the picture, the plants are as follows:

'Love Pat' Hosta
'Aureum' Lamium
Columbine
'Dolce Creme Brulee' Heuchera




Another big thanks goes out to Diane for all of our adventures, the latest was yanking ugly evergreen bushes out of the ground with the jeep made all the more exciting by the gentlemen cheering us on from their house-building across the street. Good-bye scraggly bushes, hello hydrangea!! The right side of the house has a Nikko Blue, the left All Summer Beauty. With any luck, and the assumed acidic soil, I will have blue blooms -- just like our wedding. :)

Along with the hydrangea on the south side, there is a wonderful little ground cover that was hiding beneath all the overgrown grass. With the weeds pulled, I'm hoping to get it to spread out and decorate more of the area.

I also planted a few things in the back garden. I am trying out the wall-o-water and planted a Roma tomato. I also added three Painted Daisies to the garden. The fourth I put in the bed right by our Maple. The tree attracts hoards of box elder bugs. I've heard about a pestiside made from a synthetic chrysanthemum substance. The painted daisy is of the chrysanthemum family. I have on idea if only one crown will deter the bugs, or if the flower would do it at all, but bring on the learning!

And, last but not least, I have a few questions for all my garden-wise readers.

1) Has anyone ever used cocoa shell mulch? What'd you like, dislike, and what was the effect on the soil?

2) Another mystery flower. It's tucked away underneath the lilac in the back corner, and I want to find out what it is before I try to transplant it.