Garden Changes

MY BACK TO NATURE GARDEN has come to a critical juncture here at the end of July. My issue is that it shows lots of green growth and little color. My orange butterfly weed is the only thing blooming at this point. I intend to add some mid-summer flowering perennials to brighten up the space for my enjoyment, especially during my cocktail hour.

This is a slight departure from my earlier plans, when I was letting Mother Nature take charge. My thought now is that she needs a little intervention.

I headed to Greystone Gardens https://greystonegarden.com/ just off M-22, 2 miles south of Empire. They do a splendid job offering a wide selection of hot-house perennials and annuals.

I had a list of plants that I thought could be nicely worked into my patio garden. I walked through six of their greenhouses, getting glimpses of a vast array of blooming plants, and methodically selected four.

The first choice was a good old black-eyed Susan. Next was a dwarf butterfly bush, which would blend nicely into my collection of existing plants. I found an attractive lavender plant with grey leaves and an exceptional fragrance. Finally, I chose a hybridized tickseed that was multi-colored. These four for $40. Bingo.

My garden is not on the most friable soil and struggles with competing roots from my neighbor’s hundred-year-old Maple. I dug holes twice the size of the gallon pots and filled them with a superior organic potting mix, then watered them well.

The above photo is of the black-eyed Susan.

My effort was but a gentle nudge, and I'm back to weeding just a little to help establish the new additions.

Lavender