Garden Rocks, Art, Circles

This is the thyme circle trimmed back to its 7 foot diameter within the encircling rocks. It is in full bloom, without weeds. The newspapers under this planting has worked as a good weed barrier for about 11 years! Perhaps, this year I should clip the thyme, although it seems to do well enough without a shearing. Across the thyme you see the yellow oregano and the little bush beside it is a spirea in pink bloom. The spirea has leaves to match the colors of the oregano. I must prune it back after bloom, this year. The black bamboo is next to the spirea on one side and the hedge along the other side. Along the bottom of the photo you see the low daisies in the sundial circle and the red sedum that is to fill its space next to the sundial circle.

The little sun dial circle with the low growing daisies in bloom, and the rhodendron like plant that is slowly forming around the sundial. I have planted a couple of new little low growing plants in this circle to try to fill in. One is a 'heron's bill' that looks like a tiny geranium. I also have a white/green leaved low growing alpine from last year's planting. This little area is very difficult, except for the two established plants. More water is probably the key to getting better results. You can see where this little circle borders the thyme circle on one side with the irises onthe other side, and campanulas along by the hedge. The little pink hebe sits by its rock. This little plant is my favourite this year, as it has responded so very well to the care it got last year. The red along the other side of this little circle is a sedum with a reddish hew. It grows next to the silver sedum and is the same plant, just a different variety. They are going to look super together when they fill in their alloted spaces.
The view over the inner garden to the bench at the bottom of the thyme circle. I have cleaned up this inner garden this year and shall try to keep it more formal. I was letting the alliums and columbines go quite wild in this spot. It looks so much better with the messy hebe taken out, too. At the back you can see a well behaved hebe.. Carl Treshcer, maybe? Closer shot of it soon. The tricyrtis (?) are a bit messy. They like a bit of shade and might be moved some day. They are not a great plant, but they are 'different'. You can see the dark smoke bush with the silver sedum under part of it. I am encouraging the sedum to spread into the area where I took out the hebe. I have just added some pussy toes to this area. I don't know if they will grow or not as I ripped them out of the cleaning up I was doing under the front plum tree. They are low growing with silver leaves and pink bloosums.
This rock has special meaning for me. When we visited Bryan in Yellowknife, he gave me this rock that he had been keeping in his garage. It has weathered quite a bit over the last 12 or so years. I wish I had known that you could paint rocks with something that keeps them from weathering. Perhaps I could have this one cleaned and then protect it. At the moment it sits at the feet of the cement David in its bed of pea gravel and other bigger round rocks collected from beaches.
These are the rocks that were hiding under the yellow oregano at the edge of the time circle. They have not weathered too badly and retain their rich colors. I have moved them to the inner garden where I removed a messy hebe. The silver sedum should expand to the edge of these rocks, and be the under planting of the smoke bush with its dark wine red leaves. Next to the rocks you see the armeria (thrift) forming its round mound. This particular plant is quite old. I am encouraging it to regrow the center portion. These thrifts are good plants in my garden. Very easy care once established. Also next to these rocks you see the newly moved lavendar which will expand in time, to displace the rocks, yet again.
This is the small sundial that sits in the sunniest part of the front garden. It has dolphins on it. I have it set to the shadow falling over 12 noon around June 21st.
The west coast planter is situated across this little stone path from the water tub. This area is looking really good since I renovated the rock paths. I have some of my most choice little rock plants growing here. They are growing in clay and gravel, there is a canopy of leaves over them in the summer and they thrive. Everything that a rock/alpine plant should not like, at all! You can see the Gertrude Jekyll rose under the same canopy of leaves from the liquid amber tree. I let the leaves fall here and just clean them off the tops of the plants. So, I seem to be building up a good leaf mulch barrier to weeds and providing the plants with nutrients; as well as minimizing my leaf raking chores. Is that green gardening!?
The mermaid is now sitting on an upturned black plant pot and gazing into the half barrel tub. The tub is the home of Elvis the fish and a white water iris.
This is the view from the driveway across my front garden. You can see the neighbors car in their driveway. I have some small cedars to screen their driveway. They are on the corner of the street and the view goes right across the street. It is far too open to the traffic.
I wish these bronze herons were just a bit bigger, but they do match the color of the stone they seem to be examining. They sit in front of the tub garden and are surrounded by a little campanula, an iberis and the white perennial snapdragon. I must feature this little plan sometime. It has silver blue fuzzy leaves and white snapdragon flowers over a long bloom period. An excellent low growing plant that has suffered many moves with some horrible soil.

Yesterday, I transplanted the 6 little perennials, but did not do anything else. Today, I took the day off, except for watering the house plants. I spent a lot of time on the new site that is being built by a good internet friend. This site is going to be just super for photography information, networking, and all kinds of fun. The features seem almost endless. I can't wait until its on line.