July 3, 2024

 Went out to get the berries - black ones for the freezer, red ones for snack.  Decided it was too hot (almost 90) to do planned trimming here at Rainbow's End.  Now tonight's activity.  

One mistake I'll warn you about was planting a wisteria on a study arbor between two trees.  Don't.  The wisteria tends to attach to the trees.  First photo. Right hand side shows wisteria encircling red crabapple.  

It's always the blooms that attract our attention when we decide which plants to purchase, but remember blooms only last a short time while foliage will last the season.  Foliage comes in many shapes, textures, and colors. A master gardener can tell you more.  Be sure to added some variegated foliage to your collection.  

This half-circle bed centered around a locus tree contains ornamental grasses, Gold Coronation Yarrow, Tansy and Dusty Miller (both gifts from mom), ditch lilies, yucca, with orange poppies, yellow tulips, grape hyacinths in the spring and Autumn Joy Sedum in the fall.  Bed needs division.

Yucca with Gold Cornation Yarrow.

Gold Coronation Yarrow makes a nice everlasting.

Ditch Lilies

Dusty Miller foreground, ornamental grass back left, tansy back right.

Tansy will have yellow button flowers.  Was told used as a spider deterrent.

Gold Coronation Yarrow foliage.

Be on the lookout for variegated foliage.

On the south side, referred to as the hosta bed, it also contains ferns, coral bells, astilbe, more - said to be shade loving plants.  (New neighbor plans to have multi-trunked huge tree to the south taken down in the future.  Will change the scope of this bed.  Hopefully for the better.)  Bed started when former neighbor started gifting me with hostas more than 20 years ago.

Snow on the mountain planted under spruce which is in the corner of this area.

If coral bells are planted near each other they will cross breed.

Left:  hosta; front: fern; middle: ornamental ginger; back:  Christmas fern; right:  dicentra.

Coral Bells

Ornamental Ginger 

Foliage from May Flowers.

Japanese Painted Fern

Love heart-shaped foliage.  These are wild violets.  A nice ground cover.

White peony which doesn't bloom due to too much shade.

Other peonies are having the same issue.

Solomon Seal blooms in the spring.

Like gigantic lily of the valley.

Many recycled stones round and about.

The center stone with hole in it is from my dad.

Trillium blooms in the spring.  Both bloom and foliage in thirds.

Nearby is a Jack in the Pulpit.  

Lungwort self-seeded here.  

Makes a nice ground cover.

There are also white daffodils which bloom as other plants are beginning to crown.

A morning stroll reminds me of who gave me what.  Many sweet reminders.

    The Lord will guide you always;                                             Protector

    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land                    Provider

    and will strengthen your frame.                                                Perserver

    You will be like a well-watered garden,                                    Productive

    like a spring whose waters never fail.                                        Promise

    Isaiah 58:11