Season 4 Garden upsets!

The Indigo Spires salvia next to the deck are GONE! I got tired of them flopping onto the deck, looking ragged and generally being a high-maintenance pain.

In their place I planted Salvia Leucantha. I've already got a few of those in the larger bed against the fence, so decided to make them a recurring plant in the garden a) for continuity and b) because they're pretty. Not the ones with the white fuzzy parts, only the solid purple ones.

Semi-ironically, I pulled the Salvia Leucantha out of the middle bed because they just seemed to overwhelm it. I replaced them with more Canna Pretoria and some 'Lafter' rose I had languishing in a pot on the patio.

I tried both "Sweet Pea" rose and Gruss an Aachen Pink along the border of the large back bed in Season 4. The Sweet Pea got bad black spot and Gruss got powdery mildew. Both are GONE!

In their place, the reliable and lovely 'The Fairy' rose.

Season 3: lessons learned

No particular theme:

• The Salvia Reptans had to go. The flowers were too small to justify the weedy look. I replaced them with Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' and 'Dark Knight'.
• The Salvia Leucantha got huge and floppy, and kind of dominated the bed.

Orange for excitement

Canna Pretoria definitely grab your attention with the orange blooms and variegated leaves.

Star of the Republic = best rose ever

I love the cabbage-y form of the petals and it smells like a rose should smell!

Hiding unsightly things

Decided to build a trellis around the AC unit outside. It's right by the patio and there's nothing pretty about it, or at least there wasn't until now!

The rose is New Dawn.

Bearded Iris - nuff said

Aloe, Bulbine and California Poppy

Find of the decade: Aloe Striata! It survived the winter and came out with these awesome blooms!