The Back Yard

Now the rest of the backyard. As you face the back of my yard, looking away from my house, you are facing north, looking at the side of the north neighbor’s garage and a little bit of their driveway. To the left is the side of the west neighbor’s garage. To the right (east) is the side of my garage.

The bed on the west starts at the end of the Arborvitae hedge. It is about 28 feet long and varies in depth from about 2 feet to 12 feet. It has 3 Ninebark (‘Diablo’) bushes, the 6’ stump of a flowering Newport Plum, a Redbud tree, Roses bushes (‘Nearly Wild’), Siberian Iris, several varieties of Bearded Iris that I am trying to get going (with little success), several Heuchera (‘Purple Palace’), Hosta ('Golden Prayers'), a Daisy, Coneflower (‘Cheyene Spirit’), Geranium, Pink Allium, Summer Allium (common nodding onion), the red Trillium (although this area might be too sunny for it to survive), some mums, several pink Coral Bells (with light green leaves), Spring Anemone, Grape Hyacinth, Wood Hyacinth, Lily of the Valley (in the shade of the bushes), Prairie Smoke, Heuchera (‘Caramel’), pink and white Bleeding Heart, Dwarf Goatsbeard, and two types of large leaved Hosta.

In the above pic, we are looking at my west neighbor's garage. You can see the Arborvitea hedge on the left edge of the pic. The bushes are the Ninebarks.

The Redbud tree is toward the right side. On the right side of the pic, "in the distance", is the telephone pole which marks the corner of our property and then a different neighbor's backyard.

The bed on the east along my garage is about 20 feet long and 2 ½ feet wide. It has a Clematis (‘Sweet Summer Love’), Astilbe, Prairie Smoke, Spring Anemone, a gazillion Summer Allium (common nodding onion), Tulips, Snowdrops, several Heuchera (‘Purple Palace’), several pink Coral Bells (with light green leaves), Globe Blue Thistle, Lamium, several varieties of Bearded Iris (a shortish (15”) Delft Blue colored one, maroon (‘Saturday Night Live’), bronze, deep blue (‘Dusky Challenger’), and more variegated leaved blue).

The pic above is our garage. We don't use that door; hence the clematis in front of it.

The bed in the back is about 35 feet wide and varies in depth from 6-8 feet. It is bordered by some lannon stone slabs. It is up about one step. It has 2 Peony (deep rose, but not quite the same as the previously mentioned peony), tall Goatsbeard, Switchgrass (‘Heavy Metal’), Purple Coneflower, Ratibita Pinnata (Grey-Headed Coneflower), Summer Allium (common nodding onion), Poppy, Salvia, Lavender, Feverfew, Bee Balm, Chives, Daffodils, Tulips, Siberian Iris, and a Common Buckthorn on the right hand edge which screens the neighbor’s driveway. Just outside the bed to the right is a Mock Orange, which also screens the driveway. The back edge of the bed is the lot line and the north neighbor’s property is about 30” higher than mine. There is a short stone wall right there. In between the top of the wall and the neighbor’s garage there are aggressive orange tiger lilies and thistles. I do my best to keep them in check. In front of this bed, I have started an annex. The annex currently has Black Eyed Susans, Rose (‘Nearly Wild’), Siberian Iris, and Spring Anemone. The annex was expanded this year to accommodate 3 cherry tomato plants.

In the above pic, we are looking north at the side of my neighbor's garage. The light green bush with white flowers is the Mock Orange. The chicken wire on the right side is protecting some lettuce and chard. The tall plants with white-ish plumes are Goatsbeard.

The Amoeba, Fence, and Arbor

The entire back yard, including patio and beds along all 4 sides, is about 35 feet wide by 50 feet deep. In the back yard, there is a Linden Tree placed to give a little shade on the patio and beneath that tree are some Astilbes. 

There is a birch tree near the driveway. Off the driveway, in between the garage and where the birch tree stands is a bed that I call “the amoeba” because when we bought the house it was shaped like an amoeba; it has since been expanded and is now more of a blob, but I still call it the amoeba. The amoeba has Hosta (‘Golden Prayers’), Dwarf Lady’s Mantle, Bloodroot, Helebore (Heleborus Purpurascens), Tulips, Crocus, Snowdrops, Grape Hyacinth, Fritillaria, Spring Anemone, Fall Anemone (white ‘Whirlwind’ and pink), 2 Clematis (‘Sweet Autumn’ and ‘Jackmanii’), Pasque Flower, Prairie Smoke, Dwarf Goats Beard, pink Bleeding Heart, many Astilbes, and Heuchera (‘Caramel’). 

The above pic shows most of the amoeba, prior to moving some sedum out and the Caramel Heuchera in. You can see the very edge of the driveway in the lower left corner of the pic. The Birch tree is out of the pic to the left.

On the west side of the amoeba, we put in a fence consisting of two pieces of lattice board shaped into a shallow “V”. The 2 clematis vines climb up this fence (and basically cover it), providing some shade for the Astilbes. On the other side of the fence, there is about 18” of a garden bed with more Spring Anemone, Grape Hyacinth, Crocus, Meadowsweet, Ratibita Pinnata (Grey-Headed Coneflower – I call it Pinnate), Prairie Smoke, Summer Allium (common nodding onion), and Hardy Hibiscus (‘Midnight Marvel’).

In the above pic, we are looking at the west side of the fence - the amoeba is behind the fence. The 'Sweet Autumn' Clematis is going strong, but the 'Jackamnii' (on the left) is sputtering. The back part of the house is the kitchen. The Hibiscus is just to the left of the fence (it isn't very big yet). You can barely make out the Birch tree in the background due to the poor lighting.

Perpendicular to this little bed is a metal arbor with a Honeysuckle (‘Goldflame’) vine. The edge of the Honeysuckle is bumping into the edge of the Linden branches.

In the above pic, you can see the Linden tree in its round-ish bed. The Honeysuckle is on top of the arbor. And, you can see the back door of our house.

West Den and Back of House

So we looked at the west side of the house in a previous post. Still on the west side, but continuing toward the back yard, a hedge of tall Arborvitae runs along the lot line creating a nice privacy screen between our neighbor’s backyard patio and our backyard patio. The bed that wraps around the back corner of the house has a Peony (deep rose), Chives, Penstemon, Campanula, Baptisia (False Indigo), Dwarf Goatsbeard, Pasque Flower, Prairie Smoke, Daffodils, Achillea Ptarmica (Sneezewort or Rough Baby’s Breath), Siberian Iris, Switchgrass (‘Heavy Metal’), Yarrow (‘Paprika’), Pincushion Flower, Geranium, creeping Sedum, Wood Hyacinth, summer Phlox, Liatris, Hosta (a variegated and a plain), Balloon Flower, Goldenrod (unknown type), an unidentified bush, pink Bleeding Heart, Dwarf Lady’s Mantle, and Rhododendron.

In the above pic, we are facing mostly south. The green bushes on the right side of the pic are the Arborvitea hedge. The pink flower is the Peony.

In the above pic, we've shifted a little so we are facing the back window of the house. In between the A/C unit and the bush is a Bleeding Heart. The yellow debris in the grass is bracts from the Linden tree (described in a later post). You can just see the edge of the round-ish bed where the Linden tree is located on the lower left side of this pic.

In the above pic, we're standing on the other side of the A/C unit. There's the Rhododendron and a Dwarf Lady's Mantle. Plus a Cherry Tomato, basil, and flowers in pots on the patio.

The West Side

Along the west side of the house, there is a bed jutting out from the middle of the wall where the chimney is. That bed has Globe Blue Thistle, Brown Eyed Susans, Hyacinth, Daffodils, Heliotrope, Penstemon, Grass (Miscanthus Eulalia), New England Aster, Lamb’s Ear, Purple Coneflower, Artemisia (‘Silver King’), and Summer Allium (common nodding onion).

In the above pic, we've walked around the large bed in the front of the house to the west side of the house. The scraggly bushes on the right side of the pic are the Dwarf Lilacs mentioned in a previous post. They were recently trimmed, so they are not looking their best. The pink flower is a Peony, which will be mentioned in a later post.

The Front Yard

My front yard is about 49 feet wide by 40 feet deep (not counting the driveway, front sidewalk, or city swath). The area is roughly cut in half by the sidewalk leading up to the front door. There is a small, one step stoop at the front door.

Facing the house, on the right hand side is a large, roughly triangular shaped bed that was my 2015 project. This bed has a Hydrangea (‘Limelight’), Russian Sage, Shasta Daisy (‘Alaska’ and ‘Crazy Daisy’), Spring Anemone (Anemone Sylvestris), Daffodils, Blue Grama Grass (‘Blond Ambition’), and a Tree Lilac that has been turned into a bush by a marauding deer. I am considering planting a different tree, but have not decided yet.

The above pic is the triangle bed while facing toward the house. The bright green bush is the Hydrangea.

The above pic is the triangle bed while facing the street. The bush on the left is supposed to be the Tree Lilac. The grayish-green things are the Russian Sage. You can't see the Grama Grass yet; it is too short.

Along the front of the house, there are beds. Facing the house, the bed on the right side has a set of Holly bushes, 5 Boxwood (‘Baby Gem’) that will eventually grow into a short hedge under the front window, Knockout Roses (‘Radrazz’’), Rough Stemmed Soladago (Goldenrod ‘Fireworks’), Spring Anemone, Fall Anemone, lots of Mums, Tulips,  Scilla, Snowdrops, Prairie Smoke, “Mexican Daisy” (don’t know the proper name), Columbine, self-seeding Love in a Mist, Pasque Flower, Threadleaf Coreopsis, Variegated Leaf Iris, and a few annuals and some other part-time self seeders (Balsam, Snapdragons).

In the above pic, the Holly bushes are toward the right. They will be your landmark in a later post.

On the left side, there is another row of 5 Boxwood (‘Baby Gem’) under the other window, an arc of Dwarf Korean Lilac (‘Miss Kim’), a zig-zag of Spirea bushes (Magic Carpet ‘Walbuma’), a Crabapple Tree (‘Prairifire’), lots of Mums, Tulips, Scilla, Snowdrops, Prairie Smoke, Columbine, Perennial Salvia, Threadleaf Coreopsis, Variegated Leaf Iris, a Fern Leaf Peony (‘Ruby Red’), Daylilies (‘Stella d’Oro’), a wayward Prairie Dock (that I am trying to relocate), and a few annuals and some other part-time self seeders (Balsam, Snapdragons, Chamomile).

The Dwarf Lilacs start on the west (left) edge of my house. They will be your landmark in a later post.

Hello! Welcome to my garden!

I have started this blog -- mostly about my garden -- for the joy of it. Gardening is my hobby. In previous years, I have occasionally posted a pic on FB about this or that plant. This year, I started posting many pics. After a little while, I decided that my garden pics and discussion might be better served here as a blog. I am not a Master Gardener. My garden is a bit chaotic. My head understands the design principles - repetition, continuity, odd numbers, drifts, waves, etc. But, my heart says "oh look, isn't that pretty!" So, I have a lot of onesies. And, I don't really care what the lawn looks like. Well, I wish there were less weeds, but I don't care enough to do anything about it. My zone is 5B. I can "work" in my garden from about April 15 through the end of November. Some bulbs, such as snowdrops, will sprout and bloom before April, but other than admire them, there is really nothing to be done in the garden.

I live on a typical residential street in Wauwatosa, WI. I live in one of the “middle” houses on the short side of the block (there are 4 houses on the short side and 6-7 on the long sides, with the corner houses being counted twice). The front of my house faces south. My lot is about 57 feet wide by 150 feet deep. Starting at the street, the city easement swath of grass is about 20 feet wide and there is one tree (a Hackberry about 15 years old). Then, the sidewalk. The front yard is about 40 feet deep. Then, the house. The back yard is about 50 feet deep. My entire lot is flat.

I garden with the help of my husband, who does the heavy lifting, the big hole digging, and the grass cutting.

The next several posts will  give you an overview of my garden.