Plants, Plants and Yet More Plants

Yesterday was plant shopping day. No, the plants didn't shop, Mr. Juarez and I shopped for plants at Sky Nursery here in Shoreline.

We talked to 3 different plant experts about the 3 different garden types we have in the yard. As a result, we ended up with:

3 Japanese Camellias for in front of the downstairs front windows. They will eventually make a hedge. The flowers are large and pink, single blooms that remind me of hibiscus.

2 Euphorbia, which are strange plants. They have little bell-shaped green flowers in a cluster on the top of the stalks. They don't seem to have a fragrance, but they are interesting looking and they are evergreen. One is in the grass garden and the other in the back yard.

1 Licorice fern. It has the most interesting leaves and I've never actually seen one in anyone's yard. It's in the back shade garden.

2 Hosta, green and white stripey for the back shade garden. Impervious to most everything and once established carries on without being pampered.

3 Miniature bearded iris, 3 different colors. They are going in the former grass garden that I made a few years ago.

3 Carex grasses for the grass garden. They are goldeny green with little fuzzy catkin-like "flowers" on stalks.

2 White Hellebores for under the mountain ash in the back yard. These are also a strange plant and are native to the Pacific Northbest.

He planted some little corms for something I can't remember the name of, out in the grass garden, but I do remember it flowers.

Antonio and his helper planted them all on Friday after we got back from the nursey.

Today they are out there mulching. He has squeezed the mulching in today because it's supposed to rain next week and he's worried about the good soil he added to the rock gardens washing away.

So that's the plants and plants part. Yet more plants is still to come. The rest of the plants we're after aren't in the nurseries yet, despite the fact that it's been in the high 50s and low 60s lately. Today, in fact, has been nothing short of spectacular and while I was out there wrangling 175 feet of hose (the front water spigot pipe froze during the winter and split!) I worked up quite a sweat.

There are plenty more plants to buy when spring officially gets here. And the nice big Siberian tomato plants will be delivered in April or May sometime. Yum! BLTs again!

We're wanting to put some Japanese Blood Grass in the grass garden and some Vinca Minor at the top of the rocks for soil retention. And maybe some more hosta and ferns. And something for summer color. And Sweet Alyssum. Gotta have that. And some Calla Lillies. White ones.

It's going to be so pretty!

Ray's eye is feeling somewhat better, but still hurts. He's got a doctor's appointment on Monday afternoon. Maybe she'll be happy with his progress and take some stitches out, and let him stop the eye drops that dialate his eye. And then he can get back to work. He's getting a tad stir-crazy.