I planted this flower bed, and an identical one that you can't see, which is out of the picture to the right. Now, this probably doesn't look like much...but trust me, this was HARD work. The main problem is that our soil is hard clay. I'm convinced that if you grabbed a ball of the stuff and put it in a kiln, you could bake it into a hard, unbreakable ball. We spent a lot of money amending the soil two years ago when the backyard went from a big expanse of bare dirt (which is how it was when we moved into our newly built house). So, this is the improved soil, which isn't saying much. Trust me, using a trowel to dig out holes for little six-pack flower starts is murder. I've bent several trowels so far.
Still, the yard is shaping up, if I do say so. I planted cosmos, petunias, verbena, and lobelia. And see that rose bush there in the middle? It bears pink AND white roses! It's some sort of fancy grafting, but it's very cool. See?
A pink rose, and a white one. On the same bush. Caroline loves this.
Also, I've told you about the lilac hibiscus plant that I love because of the way the flowers swirl in amazing spirals. Here's what I mean:
An opening blossom...
Partly open...And here's one wide open:
Gorgeous, aren't they?
Wow! Spring comes to California! As part of our three day vacation we went to a local garden center and spent hours looking and poking and smelling and came home empty handed. It was still lots of fun. I have always wanted a tree rose, but it is not to be in Illinois, where you must bury the whole bush for the winter!
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