It takes lot of work and money planning and getting things just right doesn't it?

Personally I think shutters on the window would make a big difference in how the bed looks. I like the idea of the rose and clematis.

Good job--but I also liked it before! (grin)

Yes, definitely shutters :-) and maybe a trellis or something to break up the wall.

Carol

i love the changes already! particularly the area with the red birdhouse--it is perfect in that space, and i love the bed depth there. shutters would be great; even without them though the clematis will be terrific! your hard work is really paying off!

Looks better. I like the birdhouse, too, and I'm not usually big on too many ornaments. A couple of trellises made of 1x2 lumber is inexpensive and looks decent. You can even paint them a color if you want to be adventurous, or paint them white or to match the siding if you want them to have a more subtle presence.

You have a spiky grass and some Liatris, which will add some vertical forms as they increase in size, but I'd still like to see more variation on the flower shapes. You have a lot of daisy shapes, and the moundy sedums, more spikes and some umbels would add some variation in texture.

Also, I'd like to see some red or burgundy here instead of pink, with the yellow and gold flowers. Was it "yellow and pink make a stink" or "pink and yellow kill a fellow". LOL

Much improved, in my opinion. I like the variety in the 'after' look.

Next investment should be large, unevenly cut flagstones leading to the gate, with something colorful planted between them, like Creeping Thyme.

Hi! Really better, but personally I'll add something higher in the back to "break the white", such as hollyhocks, foxgloves or delphinium, I think I'll do the same in my yard next year.
I also would plant some grey-leaved plants such as santolina or lavender and/or some purple/red leaved like heucheras. This to add more contrast and variety.
Lately, I strongly second the option pathway to the gate, in my (quite new) garden, stone pathways really did the difference.

Happy gardening!

It looks so good. I remember this from last year (and like a lot of others, thought it looked good then too). It's even better this year.
One suggestion: I would extend the bed out to the very very edge of where the gate path begins. The wider this is, the better its proportion to the height of the house. So I'd extend it as far as I could get away with considering the gate, then I'd edge and mulch it. I think that would make a surprising difference.
It's looking great this year. Do we get to see pictures again next year? Please?

Beautiful, and I love that red bird house!

Thanks everyone for your kind words - and the suggestions. Yes, one thing that people had commented on last year that I forgot to mention (although you all noticed it too) was the comment on edging/path. I have no excuse for not edging, except for the yucky weather lately, but I just can't get myself to spend the dollars on the path. I'm currently putting in a mixed border in the back yard and it is currently receiving all my gardening money. So my question is - how imperative do you think adding the path really is? Super important, Kind of Important, Not Really That Critical. Let me know.

Saypoint, you commented on the color selection. I went back and looked at the pictures again - funny how when you see things everyday you don't always "see" them. The purple/pink flower in the back ( in the birdhouse corner) is Robert Poore phlox paniculata. It's new this year, one of my attempts to get darker colors against the house. Anyways, after looking at it again, it really doesn't fit. I guess it'll get moved this fall. Thanks for the sharp eyes.

I know the siding needs to get visually broken up. Next spring I'll put in some nice wood trellises, so hopefully that will help. I doubt if I could convince DH to spend $$ on shutters, but my neighbors may have some extra original shutters from when they replaced theirs. I'll have to check on that.

Thanks again for your nice comments and encouragement. This is year 4 of this garden and hopefully year 5 will be better.

Lauren

I was one of those who enjoyed commenting on your garden last year, Lauren. It is a very pretty garden and you are right, next year will be even better. I like the addition of the rose and can't wait to see it grow bigger. On the path issue, it doesn't seem to me the gate is used much (vine growing over it) so I don't think the path issue is really that critical. Edging, on the other hand, will really make a difference. I still think a trench edging would be perfect and the price is right! Thanks for sharing, Lauren.

Peace

I don't think the path is critical, but from a continuity point of view, it's needed. You could do it on the cheap with woodchips. Expand the bed, as suggested above, and give it's leading edge a gentle s-shaped curve. Then mimic that curve with the woodchip path. Later, you can easily add stepping stones to the woodchips.

Woodchip paths are great for a garden. I have hundreds of feet of them. They're like linear composting operations. Every year, I rake back the top layer of chips, and scoop out the composted stuff from the bottom into the adjacent beds. Then I rake the old top chips into the bottom, and dress with a fresh new layer on top.

Woodchips don't have to be mowed, and they don't suffer from drought.

I agree with alchemilla, something tall in the back would be nice. I also agree with donn. I had a woodchip path and it looked really nice and was cheap. Here in our town the highway garage gives wood chippings away. Your garden looks beautiful, good work.

Looks great. Definitely needs some height though on that blank wall.

Instead of a full-fledged path, you could just lay some large stepping stones cut into the grass.

Making a trellis is a great winter project. I made three of these trellises last winter for about $50 worth of cedar that was cut to order. I did the horizontal cuts and the assembling.

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These were bought at Home Depot and I painted it. I can't remember how much it was, but probably not too much.

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Nice job on the trellises, WendyB. Pretty clematis too.

Lauren, is the mesh hanging down from the eaves for growing vines? I have used hardware cloth (stiff wire mesh with small holes to protect plants, especially my clematis, from rabbits and found that even with its small holes the clematis climb it really well.

I'm a little puzzled as it seems to me you've added more white flowers, not less, although maybe the other stuff just hasn't grown in enough to give them a background.

I also find completely perennial borders to be a little amorphous for my taste and so would consider edging, and if possible a pathway, to be on the essential list. Also, I am finding that my own garden design is enormously facilitated by using conifers (dwarf, columnar, etc) to give a bed some bones.

I'll certainly look in to the woodchip path idea. I know it appears that the gate isn't used much but this area is actually used all the time. It's our main gate to the back of the house - wheelbarrows, bikes, lawnmowers, wagons, sports equipment - you name it, it get dragged through this area, so whatever path I put in would have to be able to handle that type of traffic.

Thanks for the inspiring pictures Wendy, that is what I'm trying to add to this side of the house, except I'll use a darker contrasting color to break up the white, as many have suggested. And Leslie, that is mesh hanging from the side of the house for some newly planted clematises (that took the summer getting established and not growing up!). That is the location of the future trellises that I'm hoping to make this winter.

Karinl, always enjoy your comments over at LD, so thanks for taking time to input. I haven't added more white, I've just moved it up into the middle area. I planted a red rose bush behind the David phlox, but it hasn't filled in yet. The dwarf conifer idea is interesting and one that I'll have to consider. This area collects all of the leaves that blow down our dead end street in the fall, so it's kind of nice that everything dies down in the fall for easy raking - but wait, I added a rose bush, so it won't go away - hmmm, maybe I could also add an evergreen or two. Thanks for the idea.

Again, I appreciate everyone's time and thoughts. I always enjoy reading everyones advice and ideas.

Lauren, that's an excellent point about what happens in that area during the winter, and is one I usually think about myself but missed in this case. That shows how important it is to define your primary needs, and the extent to which those needs might lead you to compromise on others. If you want it clear in winter, it will look more amorphous in summer but for good reason. Snowcover is also a variable; if the bed doesn't show in winter, then an evergreen framework makes less sense. (I'll just skulk back over to LD now...:-))

Interesting, though, just how much impact that little birdhouse makes - it's just a tiny focal point but it really gives that corner a reason for being. And you can take it out to rake leaves! I think edging would have a similar effect, literally framing the composition, if you could find something that wouldn't get in your way in fall. The edge of a pathway would serve that function, of course.

KarinL

Well, I've made some more adjustments since last year and again, wanted to share with those of you who are still around from the past two years. I've made many of the changes suggested. The one main thing that I still haven't done was the path in front of the bed. Maybe next year. Anyway, here are the new pix, they start as if you are walking through the side yard. I've also included the back yard. I've slowly been working on it too.

As always, I appreciate any suggestions and I'm not thin skinned. I've been trying to find a garden club to join and am having little luck...so... you all are my garden buddy/critiquers. Feel free to comment.

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Thanks,
Lauren

Thanks for the update, Lauren. I've been hoping to see one. Your side garden is prettier than ever. Those trellis are just wonderful. And then the back yard...Just beautiful. I like the way you opened the gate for the first picture. I felt as though I was walking into your back yard.

My only suggestion is the same as last year. A trench edging around your flower beds would be the only change I'd make.
Thanks for sharing. Peace

Wow, the shutters and trellises make a huge difference! Looks wonderful - and those trellises are beautiful!

I still feel like the bed itself needs more definition, and I think a strong edge of some kind and a path would really set it off.

Thanks for sharing your garden's evolution with us. It's really encouraging to see the changes that can be made.

:)
Dee

P.S. Beautiful gardens in the back yard!

It's all so beautiful, you have been working hard...and it shows! The only change at this point, as the poster above suggested, would be to define the edges better with a trench. It would clean it up, just a small change, but will have a large impact. When you are feeling more adventurous, you can add a stone path leading to the gate and continuing it into the back. You have a bit of paradise there, thanks for giving us updates...it's fun to see the changes.

All I can say is WOW! You really should submit this all to a regional gardening magazine. (pictures, comments and all). Many, many people could learn a whole lot from your story here. You're right! Who needs a garden club, when we have all these great folks right here!
I'm a latecomer, but I agree. All you need now is a defined edge and/or a (curving) path. That's the kind of project I like to do on late fall, early winter, late winter, early spring days that are warm enough to be out doing, but not warm enough to plant anything. It keeps your body in shape for planting season and by the time spring rolls around you'll be amazed at what you accomplished in those odd times.

Cool thread! It's interesting to watch the garden evolve over several years. It gets prettier every year! The trellises look much better than the hardware cloth.

My only thought was that the Red roses are planted right under the window, and they are small now, but they might get too tall or too big for that spot? Possibly block the window? Also, to me the Phlox David and rosebush already look too crowded together.

I love your backyard gardens, the birdhouses are pretty, and that tall raspberry colored Bee Balm is stunning! What cultivar is that?

WendyB, your trellises are very pretty!

The full views give a much better idea of the garden's liveliness. If I were a friend of yours visiting, I'd head right outside every time I came over just to 'see what's in bloom.'
However, my very first reaction was the same as several others' : "edges, edges, edges" as a very experienced gardening friend said to me. Indistinct edges are like a slip showing, missing button or a frayed collar. It distracts from the overall beauty and sense of care. In my own garden, it took me a few years to "get around to it." In contrast, another expert gardening acquaintance always made time to tend to the edges, especially in a newly planted garden. It covered a hundred flaws, she said.

Hmmm, let's see so you all are telling me that I need to work on...edges! LOL! The funny thing is that I trench edged all of the beds this spring (before I could plant anything - similar to when Donna suggested). Obviously I either need to do a better job in the spring or plan on doing it again near the middle of summer. For those of you who trench edge, how often do you do it?

One thing I realized immediately after I posted and went scanning through the entire thread is that I don't have a very good "detail" eye. I see these beds every day, love tending to the plants, but am not very good at standing back and evaluating them overall. (Probably why I never think to add edging.) For example, I realized on the side yard shot that I have an ugly plastic pot sitting at the base of the dogwood. I moved it there this spring when I was splitting some perennials and put some mums and coreopsis in it "temporarily". And there it still sits - and it's ugly!

Thanks for your comments and politely pointint out the need for edging. Just the fact that all of you pointed that out makes it a priority for me this fall! Thanks. And if any of you have any specific edging techniques/styles that you've either had great succes with or think would fit well with this garden, feel free to suggest. I may go search for past threads on that as I'm pretty sure that I remember seeing some.

Terrene, your question about the bee balm - it's Jacob Cline and by this time every year (espeially with the last two weeks of 100 degree temps we've had), it is just fried and totally overtaken by powdery mildew - but I still love it. And also your comment about the red rose bush is a valid concern. It is several inches above the window already. However, that window is actually into the garage, so I'm OK with it.

Thank you all again for the comments and critiques,
Lauren

Lauren, I edge my beds once a year, although it probably could be done in some spots more often. I just use a spade to tidy it up, but it's easier now that the initial edging is done. Make sure the spade is sharp. Dig down at a 45 degree angle and lift up. I go down about 3-4 inches I'm guessing, then shake out the dirt and compost the leftover grass. It helps to draw out the line or use a hose. Make it gently curving. Afterwards, put mulch down to the edge of grass.

Here's a picture I found while googling edging flowerbeds, and I thought you'd enjoy it. Just one of many many ideas for edging, but you can get the idea of how a definite edge makes the difference. When you have time, look over the entire website of that link...it has some great pictures.

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Lauren,
I remember this thread from last year. I think it is great that you have posted updates to the area again. You have done a wonderful job in a short time with this area! Keep up the good work.
Remy

Anitamo,

I hadn't been able to check the site for the last several days because of a funeral, but I just checked your link to the edging. I love that look! I obviously was not very good at trenching and I didn't want to use any of the fabricated edging. This is perfect. I have 3 small kids 8,6, and 3 and rock collecting is right up their alley. So that's my project this fall. I'll take picks when we complete it to show you. Thanks so much for the info!

Lauren

Glad you like that edging. I've been thinking of where I want to add that idea in my yard, too. My kids, and now grandkids, love to paint rocks, too, so I'm thinking of adding some of those into the design. The larger flat ones work best. Can't wait to see the finished results.

I think I might have to get some of that 'Jacob Cline' - hopefully at a swap or something - I love Monarda! I have Monarda didyma, Monarda fistulosa, and a couple of cultivars (Blue Stocking, Claire Grace). Yeah, they look pretty crappy right about now - but that doesn't bother me. Nothing lasts forever and I still see bees and hummers on the red Bee Balm until the end of August.

I am also guilty of having fuzzy edges - LOL! I usually just edge in the Spring and do a little weeding here and there after that. One of my gardens doesn't even have an edge yet because I can't decide where I want it to be (and it's still a work in progress)! Oh well....

I love the picture of that flat rock edging - but can you imagine the weeding you have to do between those rocks? Also I use all my flat rocks for steppers in the gardens.

Terrene,

I see you're in Massachussetts - wish you were closer. Every spring I dig up tons of that Bee Balm. E-mail next spring when you want some and I'll send some to you. I've not sent much through the mail, but this stuff is sooo hardy, I have to think it would make it. I tried a new monarda this year - monarda lambada. It's marginally hardy here, so I'm not sure if it will come back or not, but I love it. Thanks again for taking time to comment on my work in progress.

LOL, terrene, my first thought when I saw that rock edging was "how beautiful!" My immediate second thought was "My goodness, the weeding that would need to be done!"

:)
Dee