Last summer we cleared out all the overgrown berries, Ivy, Clematis, and Jasmine, stripped it all back, even hacking a rhododendron. Started over, basically.
Decided on Hydrangeas as the big structural elements, one blue Endless Summer, one Shooting Star, one Incrediball. Tucked in some white roses, dailyness, dwarf Agapanthus, Sweet Woodruff, Baby's Tears - and some volunteer nasturtiums... keep on it, weeding-wise, nipping blackberries in the bud.
It's looking pretty good. DESPITE the drought, lack of rain. The Shooting Star is blooming like crazy, so are the roses, the Incrediball died back over the winter, but is growing back strong right now.
Further down, its Foxgloves and Hollyhocks, some red daisies, and underplantings with some color. The Foxgloves are blooming, Hollyhocks are growing strong. Added some purple poppies, the BIG kind, today, they're just about to bloom, and will hopefully reseed.
On the other side, a white 'Hawk's head' fuchsia, in the ground, not a planter, in the shadier part, under the tree, next to the fragrant white Rhody. So far, looking perfect. The Hydrangeas will fill in and create a privacy screen.
Debating a second Shooting Star under the tree near the sidewalk entry to the back yard
There's the layout BEFORE the original plantings. Since we stripped it back, pretty much what I started with this time.
Still a bit of work to go, the east side of the sidewalk and the northern end, where there still an evergreen Clematis sending out shoots, some Jasmine, and the Climbing Iceberg is alive and blooming, having survived all this neglect and overgrowth.
The gate needs to be redone... and where was I going with this? Well, fuchsias...Besides the planted Heron's Beak, I had some potted, colored ones...they're on their deathbeds, and one was quite spectacular when I bought it last year. Can they be rejuvenated? I've been looking up how to care for them...
UPDATE 6/27/16: Everything has survived, the roses are blooming, the hydrangeas are blooming, or getting ready to bloom, the rhododendrons are lush and bloomed earlier (the white fragrant one is A-MAZING!), sweet woodruff and baby's tears are filling in the ground. The Shooting Star Hydrangea is PERFECTION. Had to tend to some upstart blackberries trying to re-take the area, but it was an easy weeding job. Progress.
