Rain Delay Bonus: A Living Wall

Before I explain that cryptic title, let me show you the plantings done yesterday from Michigan Bulb. This is part of the Grand Entrance garden. I must admit, the plants look nearly twice as big today as they did when planted yesterday. I may want to get some close-out annuals and poke them in between for some color. Or maybe not. We'll see.

This little number will be a black butterfly bush about 4-5 feet tall. It's meant to grow up and overhang the sump pump well at the left. It has a pile of growing to do!
These are the plants yet to be put into the ground. There are three witch hazel "bushes" in there, lying down. Each one is a thin whip about 3 feet high. It will be interesting to see how these become bushes. I hope it will be dry enough to plant tomorrow (Friday), but the ground is so soupy that they may have to wait until Saturday.

The gladiolus bulbs are sprouting!

Over the past few days, a plan has evolved for what I'm calling the gateway to the back yard. It's a transition area from the colorful, flowery front yard to the greenery of the wooded back and spans the area between the back corner of the house and the place where the pickets meet the privacy fence. The two tall arbor vitae will define the area; they're not quite where they will be planted. Xochitl pulled up all of the bricks and stacked them neatly. They'll be used elsewhere, eventually. Something will replace them -- an anniversary present Lloyd got for me -- but I'll keep that as a surprise. I knew there was some reason why I was reluctant to dig up the stepping stones.
Since it was too wet to plant (the rain delay in the title), I lugged a number of rocks from one side of the yard to the other and built a living wall. Lloyd has been wanting one, but I didn't see a place for it until today. It is an element in the gateway to the back yard. I left spaces between the rocks for soil and will be looking for plants to fill in. I put a couple of Lloyd's cactus saucers on top, but I'm not sure they'll stay there. The location of the cactus garden has yet to reveal itself to us. I think a tall ceramic pot will go where the bags of peat moss are stacked to anchor the patio end of the wall.

I don't recall if I mentioned it earlier, but that saucer in the middle island marks the spot where the fountain will go. The solar-powered fountain pump arrived today, so Lloyd can now start work on the ceramic bowl that will be the fountain.