Through the Garden Gate and Into The Garden of Benign Neglect

Dahlia loves the purples and pinks that are blooming now

When I thought of joining Cindy's (My Corner of Katy) Through The Garden Gate Mondays...I actually caught myself wondering how to show the garden without a gate! I never think of having one! It was forgotten back there in the Garden of Benign Neglect.*

Cindy, my friend, I hope that you don't mind that today, we meander about the garden instead of lingering near the gate! Full disclosure requires I tell you that some of these photos were taken before ten days of heavy rain! So, the garden will look a lot different next Monday when we Walk Through the Garden Gate! Think of Jack, his magic beans and the beanstalk's explosive growth! But, I wanted you to see how sweet the GOBN is in late April and early May!

We don't use the gate to enter the garden, we enter the garden from the patio.

~~Please remember to enlarge any photo by clicking on them~~

We really enter from the patio

But, let's just pretend we entered the garden from the gate!

Standing at the gate (click to enlarge)

If we stand by the gate we can look directly into the areas we have reworked. This small slope is incredibly wet after our late winter and spring rains. Water actually squished up when you step out there!

It's a perfect spot for the Hamamelis vernalis and Itea virginica that's planted in a small raised bed. The short rock wall is built from stone that I dug from this backyard. There are still plenty of rocks just beneath the shallow soil if you want to come and dig them out. It's clay and limestone's most successful harvest!

Little Henry itea and a peak into the sunnier bed

Doesn't the lawn look healthy and green?...You should see it after all the rain! There are plenty of weeds and I planted Spring Beauties! Before long the
Western Daisy...will move in!

Moving in closer to see the end of the dry creek

Climbing up the slope.

This area is still being cleared of invasives!
Vinca major and V minor are vicious thugs

and they have had their way for years.
It will never be eliminated from the garden;

just tamed with regular maintenance.

Can you see the other thug, the tawny day lily,

that has managed to creep over from the adjacent property!

It's coming up in the pine straw.

Forget pulling it out...it will grow from the tiniest section of root!

But, I digress! Planted on the upper portion of the slope

are deciduous hollies, deciduous azaleas, bulbs, ferns, corydalis, penstemons and spring ephemerals.

If you turn around and look back down the slope The very naughty squirrels have left muddy footprints on the feeder!

you can see the bird houses,

which are to the left of the garden gate as you enter the garden.

They really worked out nice, don't you think?

We're heading to the top of the slope to sit on the marble bench. To get there you have to climb around the plants and over a fig tree that has finally begun to green! Turning around...we look down the slope to the gate and the birdhouses. Can you see that a new Cherry Laurel isn't doing well, either! I love that we have a guarantee.

You may be wondering why this part of the garden is so sparsely planted? ...Underneath this innocent looking pine straw is shallow soil and rock! It is a major undertaking to plant anything here...so planting is on hold until I decide how to proceed. I love rocks, but digging them up is hard work.

Here we are at the marble bench! It's a great place to sit and watch what's happening in the garden. the bench as seen from the front of the garden~~can you see why I love PPPP!

From here you can catch the fragrance of the scented blooming flowers...
viburnums and hyacinths early in the season and now PPPP.When the day is warm, the Phlox pilosa perfumes the entire garden...

The azaleas

were in bloom in late April along with the last of the tulips and daffs. Native grasses, carex, Penstemon X, amsonias, baptisias, heuchera and other native perennials and wildflowers will be blooming before long. Lunaria's seed pods are prominent and part of the design.

They are illuminated brilliantly when the sun rises in the morning.

Aren't the developing seeds quite interesting looking!

(Don't forget all photos do enlarge with a click on the photo...who knows what you'll see!)

Our 50 year old ranch house has an L shape that wraps around the patio.

We can see the garden from the patio doors and from the kitchen window. In fact, there isn't a window on this side of the house that doesn't have a view of the garden! Again, I digress! I am standing in front of the bench to get this view.

Do you remember the gorgeous orange tulips that surprised me?

Well, here are more mystery tulips!
Where did the candy cane ones come from?

Even this clown pants gardener wouldn't plant some of these together!

I love to sit on the bench and look around.
From here you can clearly see the dry creek and its friendly fish inhabitant.The dry creek has been diverting water from the patio for more than 15 years. Now the rain water keeps the witch hazel and Little Henry itea happy. You can Penstemon X with its feet quite wet! It will grow just about anywhere! It's practically perfect, too.

Let's take the path across the dry creek and turn around.
When you enlarge this photo...you'll get a very clear idea of how very aggressive vinca can be!
Again, under the attractive pine straw is shallow soil and deep pockets of rock! The rock in the right of the photo was dug from the garden. The rock walls of the dry creek were dug here, too!

Phlox, lunaria, trillium, spiderwort and other lovelies
live happily in the garden along both sides of the dry creek.

Stepping further away from the bench, our back to the patio, we look over parts of the wayback backyard. I know what is needed back there, but working with the soil, the shade, tree roots you don't want to smother, the rock and the invasives means that we can't always do what we want!

But, I am actually okay with what I have ...I don't need another garden bed!

Turning toward the house, we have a good view of

Please do click on this photo to enlarge it!

Practically Perfect Pink Phlox pilosa, spiderwort greenery, newly emerging baptisia, columbine and the fading flowers of lunaria. You'll notice that Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum) has a few blooms. I am thrilled! This is the first year for him to bloom!

Let's stop here...I'm sorry you

haven't even seen the heucheras, the amsonias, gaura, the Mexican Feather Grass Trail or even the liatris popping up!

Next Monday, I'll show you the stairs to this garden, what's getting ready to bloom and the Jack in the beanstalk super growth spurt after 10 days of rain!

From the top of the steps

I am so glad you stopped by and let me show you around!

You are the best tour group I've ever had! Okay, you're the only tour group I've ever had!

Btw, Doris did not talk me into adding my garden to the tour!

I hope you get enough time in your garden and with those you love.

Gail

*Rose, The name will remain!