This time of year, there's little to do other than daydream and plan. I could be putting down compost and mulch to prepare for new plantings, but I'm not quite there yet. I'd like to sketch out a few ideas first.
Changes I'd like to make in 2019:
- Add some summer perennials to the N part sun rock bed closest to the front door. I'm thinking Esperanza (Yellow Bells, Tecoma stans) and Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) for height, drama and shade, with something shorter in the front, like Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata). Might want and need to add some evergreen structure, i.e. a yucca or two. Yucca rostrata would be cool...
- Define the orchard area of the E yard. I might need to move the raised garden beds to a sunnier spot, without totally sacrificing the flat lawn area. Add cardboard, compost, mulch to orchard area. This already includes the Brown Turkey Fig and Mexican Plum I planted this past fall.
- Transplant Reve D'Or Rose to a sunnier, deer-proof spot. The only one I can find for this climber is the same SW corner where my other perennial vines are waiting to take off and really wow me this year, I hope.
- Plant Passionflower - Would love to invest in a giant ceramic pot to put at the corner of the pergola so this one could climb and clamber over the top. Need to research and see if that could work.
Things are looking a bit drab, brown and gray, but not everywhere. I leave you with a couple of pics of the colorful annuals along the front walk...
...houseplants cheering up the SE windows...
...and a pair of shadowy shots of houseplants atop the new living room bookshelf:
Owl bids you adieu.
