Not-so-Secret Garden

I have been nurturing (and occassionaly killing) houseplants for quite some time now--i have a regular jungle in the house these days...this is the first year, though that I have been able to plant anything outside and i have been LOVING it!

I moved to a new place in January, and had been eagerly awaiting warm weather to begin my latest hobby--i got all of my seed packets and my kits for starting them indoors (i have done that before and love to watch them grow from a tiny seed!) --however--winter was sooooooo cold and last sooooo darn long around here, that I was never able to start them even indoors :( next year i will invest in a grow light :p

but i digress...

i was finally able to start my gardening projects Memorial Day weekend--i purchased a few flats of this and that, a few pots of lavendar from the farmers market--hanging baskets and other containers..etc etc...after about 6 hours of potting, i had pretty little displays in the front and back yards--but nothing major--i've been doing (and buying) a little bit at a time, and Sundays have become my garden days--since memorial day, i think the look of the plants, pots and baskets have changed every week as i add to the mix and move things around.

yesterday, i was on a mission, though, to get the plants i already have into the best locations for them, and to complete to two sections in the back.

This is my favorite section, so far! It is in almost complete shade all day long, so the baskets have impatients and lobilium (sp?) and into the ground I relocated a sad hosta, a few coleus and two grassy things--don't kow how they will do as they prefer more sun--but time will tell--a friend of mine rescued some glass blocks for me and they make a great edging (as well as risers for a few pots not in the photo).

I have to say, there is something extremely rewarding about planting directly into the ground--up to now i had just been planting in containers--

On the other side of the patio, the garden area gets ALL of the afternoon sun--dahlias and lobilium are in the baskets and the lavendar and an edge of dusty millers are in the ground...

so, finishing up the shady side was fun and rewarding--finishing this side however was merely back breaking--i should have quit while i was ahead--but at least it is done, and will hopefully all stay alive!