A Walk Around My Yard

Welcome to the front and back yard around my house! I'm feeling blessed that I have all this planting space as well as the money to buy plants. The photos are labeled for quick scrolling. Some of these plants are young, and I'm hoping in a year (or two...or three), they'll fill in and create a lush and bountiful feeling. Each year I add plants, sometimes finding things on clearance, such as this Aronia (above and below). I'm not sure how I feel about the ants on the flowers above because my lawn has way too many ants, but I won't spray them. Supposedly they are food for birds. We should see some fat birds. 

Native viburnum about to bloom

Native columbine

Front yard garden with some figurines that survived under the snow

Green beans (with some getting munched, possibly by squirrels because this is fenced off)

Multiple seeds, three plants, one survived--Berna velvet blue pansy (heirloom)

The first bloom in my new native garden! I didn't expect any this year.

Native geranium/cranesbill

Traditional lilac

Strawberry blossom

Lots of strawberry plants!

Bloomerang lilac

I love these alliums. A photo doesn't do justice to the vibrant color.

My vegetable garden with Moxie! geraniums in dark red (from a warehouse store)

Glorious May!

The tulips are pretty much done, but I wanted to show this photo. Such pretty bulbs! After last summer's drought and so little snow this winter, I can't believe the tulips came back... and the rabbits left them alone. 

The pasque flower is in the foreground, prairie smoke in the back. 

I thought all the snowdrops had died, but there are a few survivors.

This is an awful photo of the muscari. They're actually bright,  healthy, and lush. The serviceberry below is in full bloom at the same time as the crabapple. When I planted them, I thought they might bloom at different times, but it looks great, so no complaints.

See that tiny orange rectangle in the background of the flowering crabapple? That's my oriole feeder, and I've seen two orioles today. This spring is truly glorious. 

New native plant garden

Here's the before picture. It's a lovely view of the backyards of the neighborhood; this closeness is the downside of living in a town. 

I removed (by hand!) the sod in front of the native viburnum cranberry bush. Thankfully, the ground was moist making it a little easier for digging.

The plant list includes those that like sun, well-draining soil, and drier conditions. Well, dry-ish. I know I'll have to water if we get another drought. Most are drought-tolerant, but I don't know of anything that's drought-proof. The complete list is at the end of this post.

Below is my fox-proofing. If critters really wanted to get in there, they could, but they seem to hate netting, which I'm hoping will last long enough for these plants to establish themselves.

Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower 

Salvia azurea- Blue Sage 

Amsonia illustris - Ozark Bluestar

Coreopsis palmata - Prairie Coreopsis

Eutrochium purpureum - Sweet Joe Pye Weed

Tradescantia ohiensis - Ohio Spiderwort