Front Beds

Have to make a correction - those beautiful flowers that came up are actually Freesia, not Anenome. We planted both and the Anenome, did in fact...never bloom. 😟 (I was digging through a box of old plant tags I had saved so that I could update and know exactly what I have in my here gardens...and there it was: Freesia!)

And just when I thought the Freesia were done - nope! They're still in bloom!

As for the rest of the front beds, what to do, what to do. They are such a work in progress....I mean, everything is, that's the nature of gardening, but it's always so hodge podge up there. Not my favorite spots.

What I think may be one of the biggest helps as I figure out what to do here is that I'm starting to treat it more like a shaded bed than the full sun I originally started planting for. We lost three Cherry Laurels in the first year of putting the beds in. Hence our adding Camellias last year (though the one is kind of sad right now too. Oh dear.) And moving all the spring bulbs out into the tulip border.

This year the Ascot is really struggling too; not sure what his deal is, he usually does so well. 😕

Ascot being held up by a stick :-/

Our lilies are always beautiful (and ready to pop soon!) and then I have gladiolas and calla lilies spread throughout, but they all have such a short bloom time.

So, slowly, but surely, I'm deciding and figuring out.
I don't want wildflower, messy-looking beds. Neither am I a perfectly symmetrical, square pruned, snooze snooze beds that most people have in front of their houses kind of gardener. (Death to junipers and Boxwoods!!)

Sooooo, happy medium of well put together and blooming in all seasons and low maintenance. In shade. That gets a few hours of beating, blazing, scorching sun in the afternoon. Totally simple, right?
Can't imagine why this is the 4th growing year of me being un-wowed and throwing my hands up?!


One thing I'm desperately missing, especially now that we're in the "in between" season is my pansies. 😭
I didn't get them in before we left for vacation in November and it was too late when we got back nearly a month later...no one had them in stock!

So I am greatly lacking color, that's for sure.

The left bed all a-green...


Here is the right bed last week with the dianthus and avens in bloom in the tulip border...

Well, I may be missing umph and order and pansies, but good golly, are those snapdragons ever spectacular!! The vibrancy of the red on the right and fuchsia on the left, I cannot begin to capture in photos. It makes me so happy every time I drive up to the house!

And the hardy geraniums have started blooming! (One didn't come back this year 😕, so had to grab another.)

I do also see signs of celosia seedlings coming back (they re-seed themselves, so yay for them returning again! I just have to make sure I only allow the real ones to grow. As stated last post, though I'm usually good about recognizing weeds vs. flowers after letting them go too long the year before, these guys are my struggle...I still have a habit of getting confused which they are every year and letting weeds grow while weeding out the celosia I wanted!)
I've decided they will be a staple in these front beds because, to me, they have a bit more "regal" or "formal" look than some other flowers and their gold and red colors are more what I want to transition my front beds to....oh except that the Knockout roses are vibrant fuchsia, the hardy geraniums are royal purple and the snapdragons are a mix of pinks, purples, yellows and reds!

So I really need to give up on this regal bricked out house with pristine black shutters, neatly stoned raised beds with ever-blooming flowers in coordinating shades of reds and golds!
Honey, that ship sailed when you got to the nursery and went, "ooooh, I like that! And that. And I'll have one of these. And these. And..."

Choas. That's what. Chaos!

But...but....um....pretty chaos...?! 😇