I really enjoy reading what others are doing and growing.

I'm going to harvest my kale today and freeze some of it. I got my tomato/cuke trellis put up finally too, just in time. I contained myself this year and planted only one cuke vine as last year we were buried in cucumbers from my six vines.

My main project is my new perennial bed. I got it sprayed with Roundup last week, just in time for my Bluestone order to arrive. What you see are roses, bee balm, salvias, butterfly bushes, yarrow, wegelia (spelling?), and assorted other things I can't remember. In the shade under the oak is sweet woodruff (LOVE that fragrance), white astilbes, and four huge blue hostas. Oh, and Lady's Mantle.

My plan for the yard is to have patches of white flowers scattered throughout as a unifying theme.

And here are some shastas and coneflowers blooming prettily.

It's going to be so beautiful. I love the curves you have made. What a big job that was! Please send photos of your "work in progress" -- Are you going to put mulch down? The unifying white flowers are a good idea.
Sunny

Tell me more about the sweet woodruff - growing requirements - what kind of soil it likes - moisture it requires etc. I see it in lists of fragrant plants, but I have read it is the dried foliage that smells. I have tried it once but it did not survive and I don't remember a good smell. I am after fragrance.

I read once that Sweet Woodruff was an ingredient in mead, the honey-wine type drink (alcoholic) that Robin Hood era people drank. So I HAD to have some. Being a lot younger, I might have fancifully thought I would try making mead. But it was hard to grow, although a beautiful creeper. It might have been in too much shade, come to think of it.
Sunny

This is my first try at sweet woodruff. I'm not sure it does well here as I've had others tell me they couldn't grow it here. Anyway, it's only been in the ground for a week or so. I hope it succeeds, especially since I ordered some for the front shady bed. :X

My experience was the fragrance from six small mail-ordered plants was wafting about ten feet as I was digging the holes with the plants set aside. In other words, I wasn't brushing up against them. I would imagine...I hope!...once it spreads and fills in the area it'll smell up the whole yard. The fragrance reminds me of sweetgrass if you've ever smelled that. Kind of like the fresh-cut hay it's described as.

It's supposed to love shade and hate sun. I've read varying descriptions of the moisture requirements.

Sunny, probably yes on the mulch although I get tired thinking about it, lol. There's already some down in the older section so I want it to match.

Anyway, thanks y'all! I'm so excited to finally be having the kind of garden I've always dreamed of. :D

Teeandcee - You have an artistic eye.
I kept sweet woodruff growing for two or three years or more and then lost it, probably let it get too dry. I think it's one of those that if you let it wilt, it's too late, especially until it's established. I don't have the right kind of trees to make a shade garden. It gets so dry in the summer and I have trouble keeping just about anything watered. I think you mentioned you have oak trees which are ideal. The only oaks I have are pin oaks which are more shallow rooted than other oaks. They're still better to garden under than the row of old hedge trees where I started my shade garden. That area gets very dry.

I killed my Lady's Mantle too. (Seeing a pattern of neglect) lol

I like the combination of fine foliaged ground covers and hostas with their large leaves. I had my sweet woodruff planted around my hostas and they looked good together. I also LOVED lamium White Nancy used as a ground cover under blue leaves hostas. My lamium did well for several years and then died out suddenly. I think it must've gotten diseased or something. You may want to try that one Teeandcee, since it has white flowers. The foliage is silvery and very pretty even when it's not flowering. I've seen it before at Lowe's so it should be fairly inexpensive and it spreads pretty good.

We need rain!

I have been so busy I haven't been checking in too much. I am still way behind.

Strawberries are producing a lot, cherry tree is hanging full and I am still trying to get some garden planted. I am running out of time.

The blasted hot weather hasn't helped at all. I give up around 10 am doing the heavy stuff.

I'm south of ya'll but it seems like ya'll are ahead of me in many ways. My tomatoes are just now starting to put on. The blooms haven't been sticking. It seems that we've had too much rain but today I counted 10 little bitty toms. I don't really have a veggie garden but have green onions setting seed and a few Egyptians falling over. I have oregano, chives blooming, mint, rosemary, sage as far as herbs. My black and blue salvias are blooming as are Asiatic lilies, some daylilies, hostas, rose of sharon is starting to bloom, star jasmine blooming and smelling sooo good, jackmanii clematis, dianthus, coreopsis, dragon blood persicaria, roses and that's about all. I've been wanting to tear up a large bed and put in a veggie garden but my DH says the flowers are too pretty. I know they are but think of all the good eating!

Thanks, Christie. Not artistic ability but the ability to copy is what I have. :D I looked at a lot of pictures, lol.

Lamium was on my list also as I love the look of it. I can't remember why I didn't get any....maybe Bluestone didn't have the white on clearance or it sold out or something as I also missed out on a white geranium by waiting also.

Mulching today...ug.

Teeandcee -- Your post on lamium reminded me I needed some for the new shady slope. Found some at Botany shop and Robert told me you could break off a piece, stick in the ground like a sedum and it will root easily. Won't hurt to try and you can really increase your plants that way since you weren't able to order any.
Sunny

Thanks, Sunnyside. I"ll have to check it out as I've never been there. I'm also glad to know it roots so well. :D

I've been picking Raspberries, Blueberries, and Cherries lately, Cherries about gone but others just starting.
Have ONE tomato about ripe, but seems the more I watch it, the longer it waits.
I ordered the Petunias I wanted from Parks, The Dolcissima series, planted two weeks ago this coming Saturday, nothings coming up, at 14.00 for 4 packs, I expected better results!
Glenda, Karen Rose is a good author, and I've recently read "An American Killing, bu Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, and A Glass Heart, by David Lindsey. Trying to find new authors, because I've exhausted all the books written by my favorites. I read in the hot afternoons, to get Hubby to rest.
Seems strange, to not be carrying pans of just picked "anythings" to the house now. I have ONE Pepper plant, and 2 Cucumbers--in POTS!! Strange, the things I miss--Okra, for one--and Squash!!Oh Well, in a year or so, I'll be back at it--LOL.
Suppose, as we get older, it takes longer to recover--my Daughter had Pneumonia, and she commented, that since she's in her 50's its taking her a long time to get over it. Hubby's coughing bad lately, ever hear to put Vicks on the bottom of your feet to stop coughing???I read IT ON THE INTERNET!( believe it or not, it works)
So, thats enough of my rambling, all you Ladies, and Gents, think of me when you tend your gardens, I'm jealous..

Ceresone I don't know if you get out much with caring for your husband, but I'll bet there are gardeners in your area with excess. You ought to drop a few hints when visiting with people. You might pick up something at a farmer's market just to satisfy your craving.