(Picture from September 2009)
I worked on the circle garden this week. (It’s actually more like a half circle.) I started the idea 10 years ago and wrote about it in 2007.
It is edged with brick and a row of blue fescue (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'). Although the fescue is supposed to be a sun plant, I think it would keep its color better with a little shade from the hot summer sun. Every spring I comb it with my fingers to remove the old dry growth. The deep blue/green color is great this spring.
I worked on the circle garden this week. (It’s actually more like a half circle.) I started the idea 10 years ago and wrote about it in 2007.
It is edged with brick and a row of blue fescue (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'). Although the fescue is supposed to be a sun plant, I think it would keep its color better with a little shade from the hot summer sun. Every spring I comb it with my fingers to remove the old dry growth. The deep blue/green color is great this spring.
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A fluffy row of silvery Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria ‘Silver Dust’) makes up the second row. It is an annual that acts like a perennial in my garden - even after a cold, snowy winter. The new leaves are showing through last year’s growth. I don’t cut the old leaves off too early in the spring. The birds think they like the soft new growth for their nests and sometimes rip the entire plant out of the ground. They look a little ratty right now.
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The third row is the yellow/green of Euonymus (Fortunei ‘Moonshadow’). It hasn’t completely filled in since I lost one to scale several years ago. I wrote about the problems with scale in August last year. The yellow/green is bright this spring.
I’m not sure I’m satisfied with the look but I’m too lazy to start over. Ten years and it’s still a work in progress.
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I knew that was Dusty Miller the minute the photo appeared. I have a friend who is the Dusty Miller Queen. I need to give it a try. Your 'Elijah Blue' probably likes the touch of your fingers, so keep on combing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so slow to get to all your posts and I hate missing even one of them. Too much to do outside and my dad's been having some medical issues that require me to go there a few times a week -- one hour away.
donna
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteI would like to meet the Dusty Miller Queen. They are an easy plant to grow in my garden and make a great background for other annuals and perennials.
I hope your father is doing better. As you know, my mother is having problems too. Fortunately she's only 5 minutes away.