I am still plodding along in the yard trying to whittle down my gardening to-do list (even though I am working against myself by adding to the list).  I transplanted one more hydrangea over the weekend which opened up some more space for transplanting another two dozen canna lilies.  I also planted a third foxtail fern on the hill, because like in decorating, I like plant groupings in odd numbers.  They are actually in the lily family and are not zoned for Georgia, but I’m being a lot hopeful because I think they are so cute.  If they don’t survive, I will just have to settle for using them in planters.

In the front yard, I was able to dig up the little holly at the corner of the garage and install the sky pencil holly.  The dwarf holly went into the planter by the front door for now.  I’m not sure what to do with it and I still had a big empty hole in the planter from removing the dead emerald green thuja – two birds, one stone.

I also found a little combo pack of succulents at Lowe’s and put them in the skinny bed with the hens-and-chicks.  If everything lives it will look more like the inspiration picture.

After doing some reading, I think I am going to now change out the shrubs in front of the house.  The shrubs there currently are curtesy of the previous homeowner – privet.  I prune them constantly throughout Spring, Summer and Fall, so I don’t have problems with it blooming and producing berries, but the problem is that I prune them constantly.  I am considering using an Indian Hawthorne shrub, I just don’t know which particular one yet.   So my plan is to replace the privet, but still use dwarf Firepower heavenly bamboo as the front layer in the bed.

Here are the canna lilies still left to transplant:

Here are the blue speedwell plants I am growing to hide an ugly little cinderblock retaining wall – the two holes on the left are the ones that I worked on last week to root some in a little fresh dirt.  It will get there someday:

To close I will share a picture of the only thing blooming in the yard at the moment, my stonecrop.  The bees and a few butterflies love it!

I have high aspirations for working in the yard this fall – honestly it is daunting.  Most of these things involve working on the steep hill in our backyard, which is scary in and of itself.

My hopeful list of fall gardening:

• Move 3 Hydrangeas and 4 Gardenias (1 moved!)
• Plan and plant new variety of plants and shrubs under the living room window
• Move 5 Dwarf Japanese Barberries and plant 5 new dwarf heavenly bamboo nandinas
• Transplant about 100 canna lilies, some asiatic lilies, irises and some gladioli (The cannas are dug out and 2 dozen have been replanted)
• Plant some new ornamental grasses and knock-out-type roses
• Root more Georgia blue Speedwell along the retaining walls (small wall and half of large wall finished!)
• Replace the dwarf holly at the corner of the garage with a sky pencil holly (sky pencil purchased)
• Plant succulents in small bed near front door (see below)
• Freshen up the smallest planter on the patio (see below)
• Plant another Emerald Green Thuja at the front corner of the house (see below)

I got a head start on Labor day when I got an itch to put some new plants in the small planter on the patio that was looking ragged.  I bought an asparagus fern on clearance and a small potato vine.  I left the spent cyclamen in there because I have a sickness and I can’t throw out a plant until I have completely killed it off.

I also bought some hens and chicks after seeing an amazing succulent inspiration that looks just like the little strip of soil between our house and front walkway.

The tag on the Hen and Chicks says it is a ground cover that takes full sun and has low water needs once established – very good for this afternoon-sun area.  There was a little bit of creeping stone crop left on the hill that I also transplanted here.  I hope it works out, because this little strip of soil has baffled me for years.

Lastly, I had to buy a new Emerald Green Thuja.  The one I had bought for the planter by the front door, to be moved into the yard this fall, died even though I tried really hard to keep up with it.  I think the baking heat at our front stoop was just too much.  The heat did not seem to bother the sweet potato vine though – it has grown like crazy from the small sprout I planted.  I have even had to trim it back several times to keep it out of the path to the front door!

Womp, womp.  But here is the new one in its new home next to the Emerald Green I planted last fall.

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