Hands In The Dirt

Several months ago (maybe last October?) I started a flower bed in the front yard. We have several dead trees in the front yard that provide shelter for the woodpeckers and I wanted to cover one of them in bougainvillea. I bought the bougainvillea last spring and planted them in the planters at the front entrance...but they died before the fall when I planted the mums. So, the bed has sat empty for months and months as I tried to figure out what I wanted to plant in it.
Well, today I finally took the plunge. Here are the 'before' pictures. We had a few tallow trees trying to grow there and some poison ivy...but that is about it.

I went to a local nursery and found some amazing hydrangeas. I bought the ones that hadn't fully bloomed yet...but when they do, they will be a deep pink color. I also picked up a couple of confederate jasmine to crawl up the tree. I wrapped the tree in wire to give the vine the advantage of something to hold on to while it grew.

And while we are talking flowers, remember these?

Look at how much they have grown since April!

See how the begonias have filled out in the planters? And the Carolina jasmine is growing so tall. I am sooooo proud of them!

Not only have I been lucky enough to keep this year's flowers alive, but I have had a few of last year's come back as well. Last spring I planted petunias in the Chinese water buckets and this year we had these sprout up by the back steps.

I replaced the dead petunias with mums last October. In April I had planned to plant some of the begonias in the water buckets for the deck...but when I went to remove the mums, I found some new green sprouts underneath the dead stems and leaves. I broke off the old stuff and uncovered the new growth. They are already blooming! I wonder if they will make it until fall?

Oh well, I will just enjoy them while I have them!