The Makeover

For awhile now I have been redoing the north side of my garden.  It is a small area a little over six feet in the narrowest area and about ten feet in the widest area.  There is a path down the center with a fence on the northern most side.

Anemone Andrea Atkinson and Hosta Dancing Queen

The carex grass was not fun to remove, had grown under the fence into the neighbor's yard.  There are lots of grass roots to clean up so I am sure we will be pulling out grass for sometime.

Multi-Blue Clematis and Hosta Maui Buttercup

This is a Type 2 clematis and will bloom early, also taking part shade.  I have had to go smaller with the hostas so that the watering system can be effective. 

Epimedium Rubrum and Heuchera Pinot Gris

The Epimedium Rubrum will turn red in the fall and the Heuchera Pinot Gris will grow in full sun.  I have tried to relate colors even though the plants are different.  The repetition of plants is not part of the plan for this narrow garden, but more concern with color, form, height and blooming time.

Crested Wood Fern

The Crested Fern will grow three feet tall and are at both ends of the long pathway.  It is a shade fern but I am hoping with the water it can hold its own in this environment.  I like the strength in its fronds.

Some people do not even landscape an area like this, just mulch or stone works for them.  However, with limited planting space I welcomed the chance to develop a shade garden.  I really missed the plants I was able to grow in my old, old house and my last home, like Trillium, Jack In The Pulpit, Dutchman's Breeches, Brunnera, Thalactrum, Aruncus Dicocus, Bloodroot and even the violets.  I really do not miss the violets, have them popping up all over because my home is built on an old garden.

Quick Silver Showy Ginger

Brunnera Jack Frost

After this summer, I am not recommending Astilbe in this area, water not being the problem, just heat.  I will keep my many Astilbe for another year and see what happens but right now they look fried.

The ferns have done well so I am planting some additional varieties along with more Heucheras.  Heucheras are interesting in that some hardly notice the heat like Peach Flambe and some go into hiding when the heat hits like Miracle and Plum Pudding.

Lady Fern 'lady in red'

This is fern that produces red stems.

Dicentra Luxuriant

This is one of my favorite bleeding hearts, blooming all spring and summer.

I have added another Hellebore, Red Racer and a Type 3 Clematis Claire De Lune, can't wait to walk this path next year.

The fences are no longer needed, but I wish the foundation wasn't showing.  Most of the plants will grow taller and cover this area.  I like the idea of being able to add some annuals on both sides.  The sides of the pathway have similar plantings but do not match.

This area is still a work in progress, need a couple of more plants and of course some mulch.  It will certainly be a more interesting path than previously!

A Garden Is Always Changing

People who do not garden just don't understand all the movement we undertake to make things just perfect!  I have about twenty plants in my head that I know I must move because they are not in the right place.  Some years I get this mission accomplished and some I do not and must look at them misplaced for another year.

I took out my Persicaria Polymorpha, gave it almost nine years, just wasn't in a happy place.  In its place is Dwarf Fothergilla a wonderful shrub that grows three to four feet tall, blooms with a bottlebrush type flower in the spring and has beautiful fall color.  It is small enough that it will not fall over on the path.

I have looked at my Chicago Apache Daylilies for many years, great bloom in the south raised bed and then nothing for the beginning and end of the summer and fall.  I must get a companion plant in there that keeps going all season.  It is going to be Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine, blooms late spring, summer and fall.  Why didn't I think of this before, looking at it falling over the walk for years?

I will move Chicago Apache to the back of the raised bed, planted in triangles, with Heliopsis Loranie Sunshine in front.

I think Loraine will be in a much happier place in the raised bed.  It can spread its wings!

I am also going to redo this bed with Happy Returns Daylilies and Orienpet lilies.  The lilies are way too tall for this raised bed and the daylilies are dormant too much of the time.

There are probably some things I need to change in this long south border, but I don't even want to think about removing some of the roses (Japanese Beetle destruction).

The beetles were even all over Morden's Pink Lythrum this year but after cutting off the eaten flowers it came back.

I have placed some Panicum Shenendoah in and out along the border so there will be some fall and winter interest.

I bought Ginger Bamboo in the beginning of the season for my front planters and found it just couldn't take the heat or the sun.  So, I moved it along the south walk with the Sunpatiens and it has flourished.  I am finding the Sunpatiens like to be in the ground not a pot and in my garden they like a little shade time.

I already took out my bleeding hearts in the spring and relocated them, gave some away, so that I would have more going on on the north side rather than just dying foliage  It is very difficult to layer under mature bleeding hearts.  So, I have scaled down, ferns, smaller hosta, astilbe (which may be short lived if we have another scorching summer) epimedium, hellebore and heuchera.  I even put in a couple of sunpatiens as an experiment.

Even with a watering system the astilbe could not take the heat.  I will have to rethink this area because it has been talking to me for many years now about not working out in this area.  If the north side of my house can't accomodate it, I do not have a place for it in my garden. 

This is a plant that has flourished in the heat in the same area as the astilbe.  Believe it or not it is a bleeding heart Dicentra Exima, blooms all summer.

I really like this north side, Unique Hydrangeas were just fine this year but smaller, Pachysandra didn't even notice the heat and Solomon's Seal just like it was in the spring.

This is the area where I removed the bleeding hearts and put in a variety of part shade plantings, Peach Flambe Heuchera (this one will take full sun), Interrupted Fern, Hellebore, June Hosta, Japanese Painted Fern, Heucherella Stoplight, Fanal Astilbe (can't believe I put in astilbe after what I just said) Epimedium.

This is a high maintenance grass, Carex Ice Fountains, at least where I have it along the north path.  Each season it has to be trimmed down a couple of times and then again in the fall.  It will spill over if not supported.  Well, something less demanding will be the new occupant, but I haven't told my helper yet that he will have to dig it out.

These are new in the front garden beds, Allium Summer Beauty, supposedly looks good all seasons.  We'll see as I am not liking the way some of them look after done blooming, but it could be because I have just planted them.

Autumn Fern is lovely but it just began to show in the too tall Lirope.  I need to move them where they show up much earlier in the season.

The vegetable garden is probably the one area where I do not make too many changes.  It is not even big enough to rotate crops but seems to do well year after year.


The header is from a garden walk which I will be posting in the future.

Containers That Worked

Believe me I have some that did not work in this summer's heat.

Coleus Redhead, Dichondra and Cordyline

This one never even had a wilt during the intense heat because they are in very large containers, less chance of the soil drying.  I am going to try to invest in a couple more larger containers for next year.

Supertunias Bubblegum and Bordeaux

Not all Supertunias perform like these two!  Even the Supertunias need a little trimming and fertilizer this time of year.

This is a basket that I put together early in the season, never had a chance.  The Japanese beetles ate everything in it, Sweet Caroline sweet potato vine, beautiful geranium and Cranberry Crush superbells.  It is just starting to revive for the fall season.

When I first planted this I did not have much hope for it being a great container.  However, it has become my favorite, Caladium Aaron with Orange Guinea Impatiens.  I really like this caladium, more petite and stronger than many of the other varieties.  It hangs on the fence under my neighbor's old lilac tree.

This is the one hanging basket that I purchased at Home Depot.  Each year I have brought home one of their tuberous begonia baskets and so far they have not disappointed.  Many of the other with overgrown plantings have not been a good investment.

Mystic Illusion Dahlia and Phantom Petunia

I have a couple of other plants in here but I can just imagine how spectacular this would have been in a larger container.  It dried out quickly and needed daily watering, sometimes more.

I love hayracks on a little shed, but oh what a chore it is to keep the plants alive.  The soil dries out too quickly and I had to pull the zinnias and put in the superbells.  I am totally rethinking this one for next year, how about cactus?

These are the nasturtiums in my veggie garden growing up an obliesk.  They are infringing somewhat on my peppers, but I hate to pull them out.

I should have just stuck with the Algerian Ivy, the impatiens hardly bloomed all season.

Rex Begonia

This is a plant that likes the heat, formerly a houseplant but being used more and more in the outside garden.  We wintered this over inside from last year.



Coleus Sedona and Blackheart Sweet Potato Vine

I have kept it pretty simple this year, no more than three types of plants in a container.  We all know that some of those multi-flowered containers begin to show stress half way through the summer.  It is always upsetting to see some of the lovely plants in an expensive container drying up when the rest look fine.  I am almost ready to go to the single plant look if it withstands the high temperatures!

How's Your Heuchera?

I have many varieties of Heuchera in my garden, some in part shade and some in full sun.

Heuchera Peach Flambe

This is my best heat performer, not a crispy leaf on it!

It has been an extreme test this year on which varieties will survive in the heat.  Heat resistant and drought resistant are two different attributes we need to take into consideration when planting future gardens.

Heuchera Autumn Leaves

This one has done very well, you will notice that the heat produces leaves without color.  They slowly replace these light colored ones with the new deeper colored leaves.

Many plants can be watered well but cannot take the high temperatures and their foliage begins to fry.  Some of the Heucheras I have fall into this category during the current summer season.

Heuchera Miracle

This is a full sun heuchera, lost its leaf colorations in the heat, some black spotted leaves.

Heuchera Plum Pudding

You can see the bleached out leaves with some plum colored ones rejuvenating the plant.

The large leaf Heucheras like Southern Comfort change color to muted shades of gold with brown spots on some of the leaves.

Heuchera Southern Comfort

The bleached out leaves have been a symptom of the heat along with blotches on the leaves, continually trying to regrow the original colorations.

Heuchera Pistache

The leaves have been chewed and the color is not the lime green it should be for this part shade variety.

Clip off the affected leaves and new leaves will regrow.  This has been a daunting task this summer because some of the leaves have turned crispy and are very unattractive.

Heuchera Raspberry Ice

Looks great but again has lost its true raspberry leaf color

Heuchera Villosa Pupurea

An original villosa heuchera (part shade) from which all the new villosa varieties came - It has lost its soft purple/brown colorations and royally chewed this year.

Heuchera Mocha

Wonderful flower stalks, usually brown leaves have turned green

Heuchera Carmel

Carmel is a popular heuchera and is used extensively in landscape design.  It has struggled to keep its wonderful color and has succeeded better than most.

A surprise to me that the least affected varieties in my garden are the Heucherellas!  I have not had to trim but a few leaves, they seem to love the heat without the drastic color change of the heucheras.

Heucherella Golden Zebra

Heucherella Stoplight

Heucherella Sweet Tea

So we know what the heat does to some heucheras, it fades the leaves and crisps some varieties, heucherellas hold up much better.  I guess we have some rethinking to do in regard to one of our favorite new plants!

How Did We Ever Survive?

Without air conditioning....

Phlox Blue Paradise loves the heat and has been deadheaded to keep blooming until frost.

Our central air stopped working the other day and you would have thought we were all going to expire, even the dog was miserable.  Luckily, our service man came quickly and had us back in the cool the next day.

Phlox Lavender David

Phlox David

Later blooming

Phlox Eva Cullum

Later blooming

Phlox Franz Schubert and Laura

Deadheading now for rebloom until frost

My Mystery Phlox

Unlabeled last year at Home Depot

Phlox Thai Pink Jade

A gift last spring from the Garden Writer's Workshop

Well, I guess you can see I am really hooked on phlox for the heat.  Even in 100 degrees and some water it bounces back.  If you really want to love phlox just make sure you plant something in front of it to cover it's not too pretty legs.

I did not grow up with air conditioning but I do remember my brother and I going to my aunt and uncle's house (they had all the modern conveniences) and putting our faces in front of the window unit.  Maybe it didn't get this hot then, but in the city the homes were quite close together with little air circulation.

Geranium Blue Sunrise begins with yellow leaves that slowly turn green, weaves gently, loves the heat!

Bob's Blunder Geranium, hugs the ground but also weaves very gently, bronze leaves and tiny lavender flowers - doesn't even know how hot it is outside.

I could barely think about the garden when I was wondering where and how I was going to sleep.  I think I now know how the plants feel with day after day of heat and no cool place to go.

Heliopsis Sunshine Lorraine

I have had this plant for several years and this is the best it has been.

Daylily Tetrina's Daughter

Tall and slim, about four feet middle-late blooming

We didn't spend much time in the house during the summer, catching fireflies in jars during the evening and going to the park district pool during the day or frolicking under the circular sprinkler on the front lawn.  After building our little tent cities in the backyard sleeping under the stars was a great treat.  The popsicles tasted like real fruit with banana being my favorite.

I had to take the zinnias out of this planter because I could not supply enough water to sustain them, but not so for Verbena Imagination.

Dahlia Mystic Illusion and Phantom Petunia and I have certainly found out what Gerber daisies like - HEAT!

I am planning ahead for more hot summers, Allium Summer Beauty has been planted for summer, fall and winter interest.  It likes the heat and is drought resistant.

I was a gardener back then with my carrots around the catch basin, rhuburb and corn along the south side and morning glories growing up the garage wall.

My carrots now are coming up under the daylilies in my vegetable garden, daylilies cut down, carrots revealed.  Well, we will see how this works out!

(The header is the alley garden with Panicum Northwind, Centranthus Alba, Agastache Blue Fortune, Nepeta Walker's low, Sedum Autumn Fire and Sedum Vera Jameson - all drought and heat resistant)