Create magical yard
Created | Updated Jul 11, 2023
As I've written in past months, I like to put native plants in my yard so pollinators will thrive. I also like to please myself. When people go past my yard, they see a conventional lawn, and whatever potted annuals (petunias, perhaps) I've put out. In the first photo, taken almost two years ago, there is a pot of red petunias. Behind the petunias you can see the leaves from that year's daffodils. Sadly, daffodils don't last all that long. Behind the daffodils is a Bird's Nest Spruce (okay, maybe not native, but interesting). Behind that is a large planter given to me by my brother some years ago. I've planted daylilies in it. They're just starting to bloom. To the right of my steps, there is a Blue Flag iris, which would normally be in a swamp, but it catches rain runoff from my roof, so it is perfectly happy.
Geraniums.
In the second picture you can see Geranium Maculata, a native perennial that comes up from the roots every Spring. (It lives behind my porch, so you can't see it from the front yard.) I'm happy to announce that the bees have done their work, and these plants have produced seeds which have resulted in more little geraniums elsewhere in my yard, including among the daylilies. In front of the geraniums is a spiderwort, a lily with three petals. Some of my neighbors have complained that this type of plant runs rampant, propagating itself endlessly. That has not happened here. In fact, this photograph may be the last remaining evidence that this plant has ever been there. Behind the geraniums is my Virginia Rose. If you came back a month later, the geraniums would be overshadowed by Pale-leaf sunflowers, which you can see starting to come up. At the bottom of the photo, you can see a couple clumps of green leaves. These will become American Asters. By August they will be six feet tall and covered with pink daisy-like blossoms.
Asters.
The third picture shows the area to the right of my front steps. This was taken this past August, when the New England Asters were in their glory. I didn't plant the aster you see. It was/is the offspring of the asters in the previous picture. The leaves and blossoms smell like pine needles. The bees gorge on the nectar. To the left is a hanging basket of Pelargoniums, which are mistakenly thought of as geraniums. I love them, and they are bright red, and hopefully the hummingbirds flying overhead will see them and come down to investigate. One of my neighbors gets hummingbirds, so maybe they visit when I'm not looking. Hummingbirds love asters almost as much as I do. Near the top center of the photo you can see an oil tank that helps heat my trailer in Winter. Behind it there's a patch of Anemones, anothe shade-loving species. Anemones are close relatives of buttercups. The main difference is that Anemones are white.
Solomon's Seal.
The fourth picture is taken on the other side of my trailer, where not as much sun shines, due to an arborvitae that's in the way. Not to worry, there are plenty of plants that like shade, such as these Solomon's Seal plants. Solomon's seal is a fairly close relative of lilies of the valley. The biggest difference is that the hanging bell flowers dangle from an elongated stem. A month after the photo was taken, the flowers were history, but the leaves and stems persisted until Fall, when they turned a delightful shade of yellow.
As I write this, it has been snowing for almost 24 hours, and there's more to come. The only vestige of color in my yard is the red rosehips on my Virginia Rose. The birds may start eating these in late Winter, after the freeze-ups have softened them up. If it weren't for my photos, I wouldn't be able to appreciate how wonderful and *magical* these plants were. I still get birds in my yard, attracted by the acorns from the oaks in the back yard, or the sheltering branches of the arborvitae tree next to my driveway. I have ordered Rudbeckia seeds to grow on my sunny windowsill beginning in late March. By then, maybe the first little shoots will have started coming up outside as well. I can hardly wait.
