Dirt Under the Fingernails Time

Saturday was a fine day for digging in the dirt -- prettying up our entry way by weeding a bit and adding a few new bloomers.

I began with the planter by the greenhouse door.  The golden oregano is thriving but the three pansies I'd planted in the fall had been nibbled away. Deer? Squirrels? Who knows? I plopped in some succulents from the greenhouse, a dianthus, some bright blue lithodora, and a snapdragon. 

At the foot of our steps, one pansy plant is thriving, along with a rose and some self sown morning glories, sunflowers, and black-eyed Susans. Plus the lemon balm on the left. Deer don't like lemon balm.

Moving on around the corner -- John has scraped and repainted the framework of the little greenhouse. Now I can work on the bed at its base.

Last fall I hoicked out the masses of Siberian iris that had taken over the bed, leaving a careful few, and adding creeping thyme, Hidcote lavender, bee balm,  tarragon, and a purple aster. The tarragon has disappeared but all the others are thriving.

In go more dianthus and some snapdragons.

A young toadling has taken up residence here. We almost always have a toad around our entry -- the porch lights attract bugs at night, creating a target-rich environment.

Onward to the shady triangle beneath the crepe myrtles. The daffodils are over but their foliage is thick. Still I found room for a few new pretties. I was pleased to see that a few of the many pansies I planted last fall had survived -- despite the mayhem wrought by deer and squirrels.

 Columbine is thriving and self-seeding here -- but it's all pale pink. So I'm adding this lovely blue-violet one, in hopes that it too will flourish. 

 

The fairy castle is almost lost amidst the daffodil foliage. I bent some back and tried to clear the little pathway. Once the daff die back, I'll consider what else to do here. Perhaps a little swing . . . or a hammock . . .