Welcome to My Garden (Part Two)

Let's continue with the tour of my garden which I began in the previous post.

The area along my next-door neighbor's fence has been a problem for years.  He has allowed his narrow strip of land between the fence and the property line to become an overgrown jungle of trees, thorny brambles, thistles and weeds.  I have already cut back the vegetation twice this year as it encroaches upon my flower bed.

One of the perennial plants which I have at one end of that bed is a gooseneck loosestrife.  It is now beginning to bloom.

This is a very invasive plant and it is gradually taking over the neighbor's strip of property.  Normally I would not allow my plants to spread into the neighbor's yard, but in this case I would rather see the loosestrife than the weeds.  It is so invasive that it has blocked out the weeds.

Continuing further back my property abuts the lot of a neighbor who lives on the street behind me.  He has a line of pine trees, and I have created a long stretch which is a shade garden.  It is also an area that is prone to flooding during heavy rains, so I have plants here that love water.

I have a variety of hostas and ferns in this bed.  The yellowish plant in the lower right hand corner is  Japanese forest grass. 

You can make out a tall plant, about four feet high, with pink flowers.  That is filipendula.  It is not really a shade plant, but it likes wet areas, and it does well here.

I also have a variety of astilbes, a plant which likes moisture and shade.  I actually took these two pictures a couple weeks ago when the astilbes were at their peak.

Now, we move on to the "big garden".  Years ago, this was my father's vegetable garden, and I have converted it into a flower garden with all sorts of perennials.  The front portion is generally sunny (although in this photo it is in the shade), but the rear of it has become more shady as trees have grown.

At the front is what I used to call my "herb garden".  It was originally a small, round bed, but over the years I have expanded it until it is now connected with the "big garden".  I still have herbs here... chives, mint, oregano, thyme, and a pot in which I also plant basil.  However now I also have different kinds of flowers, some of which I planted, and others which just sprung up here.  Geum, the tall pinkish flower I mentioned in the previous post, has appeared here.  At the left side of the photo is a hardy hibiscus which later this summer will have large white flowers.

                                   Hanging baskets with verbena and petunias.

I added this plant several years ago.  The tag said that it is a "butterfly bush",  however I have been informed that it is actually a milkweed.  Well, the tag was somewhat accurate since milkweed is the favorite plant of monarch butterflies.  I have not yet seen any monarchs this summer.

I have lots of purple loosestrife.  This is also an invasive plant, although it is not as bad as the gooseneck variety.

Purple loosestrife, more filipendula, and a hanging basket of New Guinea impatiens.  Peaking above the filipendula you can see the top of the big rubber tree plant which I drag from the house out to the patio each summer.

The "big garden" seen from the rear.  Late afternoon is the only time that this area gets sun. 

                                 These day lilies are one of my favorite varieties.

On the patio between the "big garden" and the storage shed, the pots of annuals are all flowering.

So there you see why I have been working so many hours each day for the past couple of months.  It is a lot of work, but I enjoy it, and it's good exercise.