Before
2020 - growing strong showed over crowding and bad placements.
The Issue
Everything was beautiful. When you look closely you notice I had to prop the anise hysop so that it didn’t bury the two rose bushes, the phlox, the stray gladiolus, and the balloon flower. And the Earl of Essex and Before the Night irises were crowding each other and was blocking the view of the Hommage à Barbara ® rose bush.
I watched them through the summer and then decided on a plan of action. Divide the iris and replant some of them, and move the roses, phlox, and balloon flower.
So I reworked the garden on a beautiful September afternoon in 2020. Fingers crossed that it all worked.
- I removed, then divided two of the iris, and set them aside – Earl of Essex and Before the Night.
- I dug the Hommage à Barbara ® rose bush and put it to the side.
- I dug up the phlox and balloon flower and put them to the side.
- I removed most of the annuals from the bed (calibrachoa and vinca) and put it in the compost bin.
- I dug up the Adobe Sunrise Floribunda rose bush – it was actually two separate plants!
- Amended the soil with Scott’s Premium Topsoil (“contains sphagnum peat moss and organic matter to condition the soil in your lawn or garden”.
- Replanted the two roses, 2 Before the Night roots, and 1 Earl of Essex root into the Deck Garden.
- Planted the phlox in the Porch Garden.
- Planted second Adobe Sunrise Floribunda rose in the Well Garden along with the balloon flower plant.
- I also moved the Satin Accent dwarf iris from the Flag Garden to the Deck Garden.
- Watered all in.
To finish it for the fall I still need to add hyacinth and tulip bulbs. Then comes the most difficult part – waiting for next year!
