New plants in the sideyard

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.

Last year's Hydrangeas

The Zebra Hydrangea planted last year in the back is doing great, and blooming well. Another blue, which I think was a florist plant is growing and blooming, and there MAY be a surviving Shooting Star back there. The Shooting Star in the front yard is blooming and happy, finally taking on some stature, so that's encouraging, it's been a long time with that one.

This year's new additions, the Wedding Gown, Libelle and Endless Summer Hydrangeas are pretty good sized to start with, and may just need some pruning to make sure they're nice and sturdy going into next year. (Might change out the Libelle for an Incrediball.)

Redoing the Side Yard

It's stripped. It had become completely overgrown with ivy, blackberries, and some evergreen clematis mixed in. Old plantings had become smothered, and were gone.

We pulled the stuff up by the roots. All that's left is the Birch Tree, a struggling Japanese Maple, and the stub of a rosebush, that clematis, and a rhody. If they survive, good. If not, they'll be replaced.

The privacy between us and the neighbors is also gone, that overgrowth had been a nice buffer.

So, the redoing involves recreating privacy, and NOT including anything aggressively invasive like the ivy. Originally meant to cover the fence, it grew across the sidewalk and onto the house, and if not managed, would do so again. Ivy was a mistake, not to be repeated.

The neighborhood is replete with huge blue/purple hydrangeas. They're really beautiful - AND they grow tall enough to provide privacy. They're evergreen and make a good graphic statement in the front side yard.

So the replanting includes Hydrangeas in the front - Blue closest to the street, and white as it comes in to the Birch Tree and becomes the walkway to the backyard.

There, along the house, it's hollyhocks and foxgloves for height, which won't replace the climbing verticality of the clematis, but takes a stab at some height.

Lobelia and baby's tears carpet the ground, and I will add things in as we go. Not too much right now since the house will have to be repainted soon, and anything planted will be in the way.

Not sure yet what will go on the east side of that walkway, to balance the hollyhocks and hide the fence, and be low maintenance, and not grow into the walk... letting some time go by to make SURE the ivy and blackberries are eradicated. Maybe daylilies and penstemon, with a bamboo screen to hide the fence.

Libelle

SO, planted Double Delights Wedding Gown Hydrangea, Endless Summer Blue, Libelle (Hydrangea macrophylla) Teller White, a lacecap. What to underplant, we'll see, maybe daylilies. Hostas are often suggested but they don't do well here, the snails feast on them.

It's progress. And it is fun.
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Pruning Wedding Gown Hydrangea: This dwarf flowering shrub blooms on new wood, so you can do pruning in early spring, before growth begins. Branches can be left up during winter -- as can any remaining blooms -- to add texture and visual interest. But avoid cutting back Wedding Gown hydrangea in the fall. In addition, in autumn the branches of Wedding Gown hydrangea turn a rich burgundy color, which adds an unexpected and welcome contrast to other shrubs and bushes in the garden.

Complementary Shrubs and Plants for Wedding Gown Hydrangea: Since Wedding Gown hydrangea is a dwarf flowering shrub, it makes a bigger impact when planted with several -- three or five, for example -- of them together. To complement these flowering shade shrubs, try hostas or astilbes for color and leaf contrast. Or go with other reblooming hydrangeas, such as Endless Summer, to add color contrasts.... Source: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/hydrangea-wedding-gown/

Endless Summer blooms on both old and new wood, so it's ok to cut and prune anytime... it's 3.5 ft by 3.5 ft, not a large Hydrangea.

Libelle gets up to 6 ft tall and 8 ft wide, so it should go behind shorter plants.

Inspiration and The Joy of Digging...

They LOVE digging! And you see the landscaping challenge - a cyclone fence, a need for privacy in a subdivision. We're lucky, the lots here were put in in the early 60s, they're big by today's standards. But it's still too close together. You see your neighbor coming out of his or her door when you are coming out of yours. The goal is to screen it off with plantings. Trees, and vines. The vines will cover that cyclone fence. (They have since covered that fence) Ivy, honeysuckle, potato vines, passion flowers and jasmine. And they have to beat back the blackberries which grow rampant and are impossible to eradicate. (They haven't beaten back the blackberries, primarily because you cannot control what your neighbors do, or don't, do)

Sideyard - Step 1

Putting in the sidewalk and the gate to the backyard was the first step really. A step towards setting up the infrastructure, making a mark, and taking ownership of the place. New fence, new gate with trellis overhead... maybe for wisteria and clematis (ended up Iceberg roses and evergreen clematis) New walkway, weed barrier and bark. Started planting. First successes. Only drawback - now the kids can't dig here.

The Side Yard

The Bumblebee Garden

This is the side yard, where the kids were digging in the picture above. It was a strip of dirt and weeds. There was no sidewalk. No gate. A blank slate except for the cyclone fence between the two houses. All of the plants on the list were planted. Some have come and gone. Some things need to be redone now. It turns out that corner by the gate is ideal for roses. Wouldn't have thought it would get enough sun, but they thrive on that side at all of the houses on the block.

The best thing turned out to be the purple penstemon - because the bumblebees love it, and they crawl up inside the flowers. So we named this area The Bumblebee Garden, and set up a bench for Bumblebee watching.

The Sideyard Gate

The inspiration
The design,