Monday, July 29, 2013

Some new faces in my 2013 garden


After moving to North Carolina in May of 2011, we took a critical look at the garden and decided to get rid of just about everything that had been planted by the previous owners.

We ripped out some wild rhododendrons, nondescript shrubs, and a diseased evergreen tree. Later, I dug up and divided all the hostas that were growing unhappily along the front of the house. In time, I used all 96 of them to line the new trail.

Here’s what the garden looked like in 2011:


You can see a tree rose, a few of the hydrangea cuttings we brought from Maryland, a foxglove, a few daylilies and the hostas I mentioned.

 Here’s how the garden is doing this summer:





Needless to say we are delighted at how quickly things have started to take shape.  And now that the roses, hydrangeas, lavenders, catmints and daylilies appear to have settled in well, I am free to add a few new bits and pieces here and there.


 I’ve become a big coreopsis fan and am very pleased with the ‘Heaven’s Gate’ variety. (I’d show you my ‘Mercury Rising, but something has eaten all the flowers. It was pretty while it lasted.)
















Some of my other new additions are keepers, others may be subjected to the shovel. 

Kim's Knee-hi – the butterfly will live longer in my garden

Yellow Lollipop – delicious!

Love Song – hate it

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' – not crazy about the fading color
Lemon Splash shrub rose – did a bellyflop

Lamium 'Purple Dragon' – also like 'Shell Pink'
Lovely Fairy – love it

Clematis Comtesse de Bouchaud – a regal beauty
The Bourbon rose Mystic Beauty – I'll drink to it


Wollerton Old Hall – could be a new Austin fave

I have a number of new roses coming in 2014 including the David Austin red rose, Heathcliff. I can't wait to see it bloom.

And I can’t wait to audition some other new faces in 2014.

14 comments :

Gaia Gardener: said...

Your garden looks glorious! (And after only 2 years. Amazing.)

Why don't you like Kim's Knee High?

Les said...

I like that Lemon Splash. I wish I still had room to add more things, without having to get rid of something else first.

Lynn Hunt said...

Gaia Gardener,
Thank you for the compliment. I am thinking it is the soil and climate here that has helped the garden to thrive so quickly. In Maryland, those roses would still be about a foot tall!

Lynn Hunt said...

Les, the Lemon Splash really looked gorgeous when I bought it but it has gone downhill ever since. And it is a disease magnet! I have cut it back severely and hope it will bounce back. Otherwise, it will have to go, because like you, I have to ditch something to add a new rose. Smaller plants like the coreopsis can be slipped in easily.

Teresa / The Garden Diary said...

The garden looks so beautiful. I love your color combinations. And thanks for the honest assessment! Helps me plan. I love seeing the Wollerton Old Hall. I have it but it is getting a slow start and hasn't bloomed. Is your Wollerton tall? Mine is VERY TALL!

Lynn Hunt said...

Teresa,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I have two Wollertons and one is tall, the other hasn't grown as much. Michael Marriott of David Austin English Roses says you can grow it as a shrub or train it as a climber. I am hoping to go the climber route!

Janneke said...

Your garden looks already beautiful within two years. Love the Mystic Beauty Rose. I bought Heathcliff when we were in England in May. It was a must have, because Wuthering Heights is my all time favorite book. The rose is in bloom now and next week I shall make a blogpost about Heathcliff.

Lynn Hunt said...

Thank you for the compliment, Janneke! We are quite surprised at the progress ourselves, It took ages to get those hydrangeas going in Maryland.

Can't wait to see your new posting about Heathcliff! I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Skeeter said...

Yikes, how can you take the shovel to such pretties? I cannot pick a flower as I feel I am killing it! Ha, that and I have cats in the house that will eat them. Am sure you know what you are doing though so happy Shoveling!

Lynn Hunt said...

Skeeter, that pretty mauve rose is a blackspot magnet and has no leaves at all as of today. Not welcome in my garden! Same story with the Lemon Splash. As I said, it did a bellyflop with lots of disease.

My garden is tiny and I don't have room for plants that give me headaches!

Sunil Patel said...

Hi Lynn, I'll be interested to hear more about Wollerton Old Hall (especially its fragrance) and how you get on with Heathcliffe, as those are two David Austin roses that are on my "to get when I have a bigger garden" list. Well done on keeping the black spot at bay, your roses look immaculate!

Lynn Hunt said...

Well Sunil, maybe I spoke started bragging too soon! Today I noticed some blackspot which I guess shouldn't come as a surprise after having more than 30 inches of rain in July. And unfortunately, more is on the way! Will let you know what I think about Wollerton. After really taking off, it has slowed down but that could be normal for August. Heathcliff doesn't come till next year.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Boy, you are ruthless! Hope your 'Heaven's Gate' comes back well for you....mine disappeared.

Lynn Hunt said...

Janet, as you can see from the photos, my garden is too small to keep slackers (:

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