My Flower Garden Around Our Cottage

This weekend was amazingly beautiful here in the Willamette Valley!  Usually you won't catch me outside in March in Oregon let alone doing yardwork.  So in that my perennials end up paying the price for my spoiled California bones.

We tore out all of the old rotted annuals and cornstalks and dumped them in the back of the property (one day I will just haul it all to the dump).  The borage had taken over my garden this past year and when it dies it turns black.  It is so ugly to look at all winter long.  I read a book (imagine my surprise too) that gave garden information, to learn how to prune roses.  I feel like such a fool!  After being brainwashed to cut any stems off the plant at a sharp angle, I realized that it is a slight angle and right above the new bud.  My roses will be so beautiful!

I usually do all of my gardening by trial and experience.  Rarely do I ever seek out the right way via the internet or God forbid... a book!  So it has taken me a while to get some things right but I feel like this year I am a pro (and have given into looking up directions) and our wedding will be spectacular.



I have from right to left in about a 3x15 foot flower bed in the front of our little green and white cottage: A huge lavender bush a hydrangea crammed between a climbing yellow rose bush, a pink carnation plant and a purple coneflower plant behind it. Then, another huge lavender bush that looks like an elephant sat on it, a tree mallow bush behind that.  Then a pretty coreopsis plant up front, another climbing yellow rose diagonal and to the back and a beautiful blue hydrangea plant.  Next is a Camilla tree with a Clematis vine growing up the side.  Then is my TINY front porch with a cute dormer that sperates some focus from the house being so rectangular.

On the other side of the porch is some gladiola bulbs, a Camilla tree has begun to grow in the exact same spot on the other side of the steps.  There is various bulbs throughout this bed as I had planned on it being specifically a bulb garden with the exception of the yucca plant that was already there.  But one fine spring day I found a black eyed susan plant.  I thought "what the heck" and grabbed it.  Planted it in my bulb garden and didn't expect much.  Boy was I wrong!  It is the star of the show in the summer.  On the right side of the Black Eyed Susan bush is a Yucca Plant that has spiky, large, gray green blades for foliage and have long tall stems that bloom beautiful white flowers that are bell shaped and ruffled.  Behind and diagonal from the Yucca is a "Don Juan" type of climbing red roses.  I don't care for the commercialized red roses and I swore I would never grow a red rose...  These roses are magnificent. Huge, deep red, velvety flowers.  They aren't very good for bouquets or as a cut flower as they really don't have much of a stem.  Diagonal and at the corner of the house in the front is a whiskey barrel with Mint and orange Asiatic Lilies.  I planted a single Lily bulb 4 years ago and now it is just bursting with Orange in the spring.

Now if you are staring at our house from the side the driveway is on, the side of the house with the back door.  There is a 4x10 flower bed there as well.  Next to the whiskey barrel is a giant Mexican Rock Rose bush.  This was a whim purchase and I didn't expect much, but it has the most beautiful pink flowers that look like they are made out of crumpled paper.  The foliage is dark green and makes for a really pretty bush all year long.  Behind that is a large Yucca bush.  We have cut this thing out about 5 times now and it just never goes away.  Then just under the Kitchen window is a yellow rose bush and tall Iris bulbs and two rows of multicolored Asiatic Lilies that stand 4 ft tall!  They are amazing!  Then the rest of the flower bed is 4 Blueberry Bushes and some Heather with Gladiolas strewn around.

The back side of the house is reserved for Tomatoes and the North side of the house is pretty shaded so there is only an Elderberry bush and some wild columbine.