The main planting in this bed: spineless prickly pear and pink knockout roses had become a free for all of larkspur, cone flowers, poppies, love-in-a-mist and other annuals. I'll call them my weeds. So I redid the sprinkler system putting a circle of drips around the roses. Then I shovel full of rabbit poo and a covering of hardwood mulch. I couldn't quite bring myself to pull out the germander, ice plant and the rose campion but maybe later in the year I will.
I like the tidy look and there are plenty of places in the garden where it is a free-for-all. Maybe just a little ice plant to soften the edges of the stone but that is all.
It's beautiful! Does your local nursery actually sell rabbit poo as fertilizer?
ReplyDeleteI think it's always tough to pull out plants, but afterwards it usually ends up being a wise decision.
ReplyDeleteThat is indeed a great combo!
It looks amazing. Rabbit poo is doing it's job. :) I never pull out my plants. I love cottage garden design so I'm always trying to make my garden as wild looking as it can be.
ReplyDeleteLooks great.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking clean-up shouldn't take WEEKS. I don't have as much growing here, so I can't imagine how much work you have.
Some day, I hope you do a post about your irrigation system. Would like some inspiration for what to do. I know you use drip systems...but, would love to see how you do it.
Looks great. Love the pink!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful pink...are they hard to grow?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your blog.
I agree that rose campion is a great companion to the prickly pear. The bed looks more restful with a little less going on - the color palette is more restricted - some would say more refined. I think editing (in the form of taking things out) is always a tricky job to justify but the negative spaces often do a lot to emphasize the beauty of what remains. Well played!
ReplyDeleteYou're right and there are always changes in the garden. I once believed (foolishly) that once I had my garden "as I wanted it" that there wouldn't be any more to do. I'm so glad that I was wrong! That rose campion--so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fabulous and you are so right. A garden is an ever changing thing!
ReplyDelete