Through the Garden Gate & Down The Garden Path ...

I've spent several days this week, including today, working in back to clear the overgrowth.  Every fall my vision for the garden changes and I rework things to bring it closer to what I see in my mind.  The back gardens are my most personal gardens: I let myself play and make frequent changes because I enjoy the process as much as I do the results.

I walked out with the camera and took a shot from the dining room patio.

Then I walked over to the gate for the usual views.

Looking to the left from the gate, you can see a lot of bare ground where I cleared Pigeonberry, cut back Rock Rose Pavonias (P. lasiopetala) and took out some Barbados Cherry. Never fear, they'll come roaring back in spring.  They're indestructible & mature plants have an impressive root system.

The rusty metal circles will be used to mark the planting spots of various bulbs on their way to me from the Bulb Hunter, Chris Weisinger, at Southern Bulb Company.  I've been inspired to include more bulbs in my plantings, thanks to Chris AND the fellow garden bloggers who hang out on Plurk & talk about their bulb ordering frenzies each fall.  It's contagious!

The purple blooms at the front of the fireplace bed are what's left of the Symphyotrichum formerly known as Aster. My other Asters don't seem to thrive the way this one does but I'm giving them time to settle in before I get too worried about their lassitude.

Lots of bare earth in the back bed, it's true ... I'll scatter Toadflax, Larkspur and Poppy seeds in the next week or two.

The big plants at the front of the bed are Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis).  They're way too big for that spot but the butterflies are enjoying them too much for me to pull them yet.  Next year I won't let them stay that close to the path.  The NABA butterfly site described them as low-growing. Uh, NO.

The fireplace wall bed will also be seeded with linaria and perhaps some larkspur.  Alyssum and Violas will provide groundcover. 

The Pigeonberry (Rivinia humilis) had really gone crazy in the Robert E. Lee Persimmon bed.  Before you go searching for that variety, allow me to explain.  I have two Texas Persimmons, one in each corner of the back fence.  The tree in the North corner is Ulysses S. Grant, and in the South corner, we have Robert E. Lee.  I will not go so far as to only plant Southern specialties in the latter corner, or Northern in the other.  Although that's an intriguing idea ...

Never let it be said I don't show it all, including strung out hoses and open bags of soil/mulch.  The Almond Verbena is the centerpiece of this bed.  Why I thought a Southern Wax Myrtle would have enough room to grow right next to it, I am at a loss to explain.  I will be moving it shortly.  I added those Wax Myrtles (Myrica cerifera) in spring for evergreen interest and structure.  Not working out so well for me in some areas.

I've considered painting the trunk of the Persian Vitex to make it even more of a yard art piece.   I spent a lot of time cutting back 'Pam's Pink' Turk's Cap today (Malvaviscus drummondii).  Underestimating mature size of plants is an ongoing problem of mine.  (The Head Gardener could say a lot on the subject but is not allowed.)

The fireplace wall bed has quite a few roses, some poorly placed Porterweed and Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) and needs more structure.  That's a pot of Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) that I might plant in front of the picture window.  It bugs the heck out of me to look inside and see the back of the television!

Stay tuned for further developments ...