Condo Front Garden

It has been four years since my last post. We sold the house in Missouri and now live full time in our condo in New Orleans. I miss the big garden but not the grunt work needed to develop it and keep it blooming. I thought I could assuage my gardening gene with containers here. We installed our statue "Proud Possession" by David Nyanhongo in front of the condo and dressed her with potted plants.

Pots and containers just didn't make me happy. I envisioned a real garden. So ...  I borrowed a shovel and got to work digging up a plot. There was a bush missing, a part of the original landscaping that died some time ago, so the space was perfect. When I turned up the soil, I discovered the right side is almost pure sand and the left side was clay. I put garden soil on the shopping list. The ferns growing on the bricks are volunteers. In New Orleans they are called graveyard ferns.

On the right side of the sidewalk there was a deep depression. I filled it in with three bags of stones and more garden soil. This photo shows the first bag of stones in place.

After the stones and soil were in place, we had a hard rain. The runoff from the roof washed away a line of soil, revealing the stones below. I added a couple of pavers in the affected area. It's going to rain in a day or so -- the test. Meanwhile, this is how the right side looks, planted and mulched. It's a mix of pansies, salvia and snap dragons.

This is the way the front left side turned out. In addition to the pansies, salvia and snap dragons, there are a couple of lavender plants behind the statue. The lavender is a disappointment; no fragrance like the plants we had in Missouri. The ferns and palms were released from their containers and now are planted. There are some low, spreading  plants with white flowers in front of the statue. I don't recall the name and the pots have been taken to the dumpster already.

This is the long view of the front. How it lasts with the next rain is yet to be determined. We enjoy the café set. Lloyd often sits there to read or chat on the phone or just watch the passing parade of people.

To the right of the front door, behind that little bit of wall, is a niche just big enough for our ceramic drum and Buddha. There is limited light in that area, so I'm trying out some Salsa Red double impatiens. They appear washed out, on the pinkish side, because of the sunlight/shadow contrast. Trust me, they are bright red.

The next step will be organizing the back garden. The area outside the back door is paved, so it must be containers. It gets a lot of sun, so I'm thinking to try a tomato plant. And this is where Lloyd can address his love of cacti. He's been good about not buying any yet.