In my May gardening notes, I shared that I put some compost around my Annabelle hydrangeas in the hopes they would do better this year.  I have used Hollytone fertilizer on them in previous years, but that didn’t seem to be enough, and the compost has, so far, seemed to be the ticket to healthier, more prolific Annabelles.  Here is how they looked last July.  They were yellowing, losing leaves, and looked generally unhappy.

And here is how they look this year.  Technically, this picture should be in July’s gardening notes, but I didn’t take a picture of these bushes in June, so here we are.

They are a little flopped over from recent heavy rainstorms and have, just this week, turned from white to pale green, but you can see how much fuller and healthier they are.  They also have greener leaves.

Here is the one by the front door, also taken last year.  This one has always been a bit healthier than the other three.

But, here is how it’s looking now!

So, I will definitely add more compost next spring.

I trimmed the liriope way back in the early spring, and it looks beautiful as we get into high summer.  Next year, I’ll have to start thinning it out a bit more so it doesn’t spread too far beyond its role as a border.  I am looking forward to seeing how the salvia I planted in May spreads over the years.  I still need to put more in this bed, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to plant, so I decided to wait until I feel inspired.  As I’ve shared in other gardening notes posts, we have spent a lot of time and money on the yard in previous years, so this year is about maintenance and seeing how everything fills in, watching what thrives and what might need to be moved.

I have a feeling I planted too much in front of the garage, but I can always pull things out, move things around, or do some heavy trimming.  Eventually, I’d like more of the garden beds covered with plants so we don’t have to use so much mulch each year.

Most of the lavender I planted last year didn’t survive the winter, but I have three plants that are doing quite well.  One is French lavender, and the other two are Spanish lavender.  I honestly didn’t expect the Spanish lavender to survive, but it’s come back nicely.  (You can see it tucked behind the liriope border in the photo below.)

As I’m writing this in July, the limelight hydrangea blooms have burst forth, but in June, they were just budding.  I would check them each day, excited to see how they were progressing.  Jeff doesn’t like that I planted a limelight hedge along the patio.  He said it blocks the view.  I scoffed at him and pointed out that the view is of a fence and a mature arborvitae hedge.  We’re not looking at lakes or a mountain.  I like that it provides a living wall for the patio slab, making it feel more like an outdoor room.  They are “Little Limes”, so they aren’t supposed to get much taller.  I’ll trim them even more aggressively next spring, but I informed Jeff that I am adamant about the limelight hedge.

The phantom hydrangeas are also starting to bloom.  I love how lacey they look when they are just coming in.  (Oh, I captured a little bee in the picture below!)  I bought these hydrangea plants for $7.00 (or something in that neighborhood), and they were just little laughable sprigs.  I’m amazed at them every time I go out to water them.

Speaking of little everyday miracles, the hydrangea that almost died in my guest room from neglect and then outside from the frost is still looking fantastic.  I had to prune it down so far that it just looked like little sticks, so I’m pretty happy with how resiliant it’s been.

While most of the lavender in the front garden bed died, the lavender in the rock bed around the pool is thriving.  It’s so happy here, which makes me happy.

I love the combination of the lavender against my shells.  I keep adding to them each year and now the shells have almost completely covered the river rocks.

The limelight hydrangea in the corner of the rock bed isn’t as happy as the lavender.  I think it’s a soil/nutrient issue similar to the one I was having with the Annabelles in the front.  I think I’m going to have to pick the rocks and shells away from the base, peel back the weed barrier, add in some compost, and put everything back.  I like where it is, so I’m going to try to make it work.

The vine is sweet autumn clematis that I transplanted there our first spring in the house.  I have volunteers all over the place, so if you ever need sweet autumn clematis, I’m your girl.

I’ll have to take some new pictures of the pool area and backyard soon because it’s so beautiful right now.  Almost daily, I mention to Jeff how much I love having a beautiful, inviting backyard.  We’ve never had that before and, now that I’ve had it, it’s what I would want in any future house.  We’ve always had rotting decks and awkward backyards that didn’t feel like sanctuaries.  This one does.

I’ve planted a small herb garden in pots for the last few years, but I decided to just grow a bit of thyme in a terracotta pot and a couple of concrete planters.  I think the thyme has done better than anything else I’ve planted in those particular containers, so I’m making a note in my gardening notebook that those are a winning choice.

I also love these deep purple Angelonia.  They have taken off and look stunning!  Those will be a repeat as well.

Some squirrel keeps digging in these planters and leaves a mess, but the planters look lovely.

I didn’t take a picture of it, but the hidcote lavender is doing well, too.  I planted it in a mix of soil and gravel so they have some good drainage, and I’m only watering them when the soil is very dry, or they start drooping.  So far, they seem to like my care plan.  I’ll take a picture of them for July’s post…