The garden on the east side of my house is finally starting to come together. Four years of growth has helped...the trees look like real trees and the bushes are filling in.
I've long admired photos in magazines of gardens that have a soft, fluffy look like the one below, and wanted to see if I could create one with plants that work in a Florida garden.
All these textures just seem to blur the edges. It has a relaxed and romantic feel to me.
So, 4 years ago these cypress trees on the left were planted to enclose the area and give it a private feeling. Their foliage definitely has a soft and fluffy look. This spring I added 'Little Gem' magnolias( not pictured in this photo) in between them...another definitely romantic plant...don't you think?
This side garden is planted in burgundy to pinkish red, varying shades of green, white and a touch of soft, soft silver. Oh yea, and a bit of yellow thrown in here and there because I like it and to add some sunny brightness.
This is one of my favorite areas in this garden. The Louis Philippe rose is now a good size. Nothing adds a more romantic feel to the garden than roses. Then there's that bit of yellow...a milkweed plant tucked beneath bird feeder from my mom's garden.
And, in summer there's quite a bit more yellow when the thryallis (behind the bird feeder) adds it golden yellow spikes.
From the corner of the house you can glimpse a view of Louis Philippe's flowers there beyond the Knock-out roses in the front yard. The thryallis separates the two.
Soft yellow 'Holy Spirit' daylilies were added last spring to this area and this year I decided to experiment with the soft gray foliage of Dusty Miller. It's been a long time since I planted one and I'm really wondering why.
Rosemary is one of my favorite plants...carefree...easy maintenance...and a wonderful relaxed and natural look. And, oh yea, I almost forgot...fabulous fragrance!
Here's the chrysanthemums I've blogged about before. Another easy going plant that gives back ten-fold. They're definitely not stingy with their blooms.
A few clumps of flax lily add a spark of brightness among the green foliage and I like it next to silver, too.
The deep plum color of lorapetlum and the lacy foliage of the elm tree work pretty good to create that soft fluffy look. And, that lemon tree planted to the right adds that bit of yellow I was looking for.
This side garden is still very much a work in progress as I wait for it to mature and continue to play with it. But, then again, "playing with plants" is one of my favorite things to do. How about you...do you like to play with your plants?
