Georgia: Phase One complete

After three days of 2-3 men working hard and me supervising, Phase One was complete. Hardscape finished, existing plants transplanted, and new trees and bushes planted. We did not accomplish everything on the initial Plan. It was a guideline, not a hard-and-fast plan. As the garden shaped up, I decided not to go ahead with some facets of the plan. I am pleased with how it is turning out. I can muster enough patience to watch it grow before moving to Phase Two.

The following photos were taken April 6, 2018. Click on a photo to see it larger.

This is the view from the back porch. Eventually those three lone Emerald Green cones will get as big as the one on the other side of the fence. They will form a screen of sorts. Jody warned me not to overwater them. Water the rest, he said, but the Emerald Greens don't want too much water.

The island is the focal point of the garden. It is backed by six Rose of Sharon bushes rescued from certain death where they were planted too close to the fence. The dogwood is difficult to see in this photo with its white blossoms against the white back fence, but it is centered. Two Empress trees (paulownia) are planted on either side of the dogwood. Those three trees will grow above the Rose of Sharon bushes and add some nice height (and privacy) to the design.

The tiny back porch and patio have seen the least amount of change. Buddha is sitting on his drum in the former fire pit, now dirt-filled. There was room for a few lilies from Home Depot. I have no idea what color they will be. Behind him is a small shed for garden tools and birdseed. This area needs attention -- some comfortable chairs and some kind of shade. The house next door is not nearly so visible when you're actually standing there.

The azaleas behind the house were not touched but for a little week-pulling. I'd thought about moving them, and still may, but for now they are resting in peace.

This view shows the widening of the planting bed along the fence. There are transplanted lilies right next to the patio. The bush beside them is a Japanese quince. Its beautiful coral-colored blossoms are finished for now, something to look forward to next spring. On this side of the quince are transplanted irises, then more daylilies. Not sure what the purple flowers are; left them there as they seem happy.

Backing toward the back fence, the long view of the transplants can be seen. The bush in the middle is a forsythia. Like the Japanese quince, it is finished for this year. The purple flowers in the foreground mark the end of the transplants. From there to the back fence there is an undisturbed clump of iris and five larger azaleas that Jody didn't think would survive transplanting. The dogwood is a Cherokee princess. It is placed so that when looking at it from the house (porch), it appears through a break in the wall of Rose of Sharon bushes. That brown spot to the right of the dogwood is a tree-to-be. It is Empress 1, a paulownia that will grow quickly from bare root to majestic. That's the plan, anyway.☺

Here's a closeup of the paulownia. Doesn't look like much, but like that silly old ant, we have high hopes. It has a mate of similar appearance on the other side of the dogwood, just outside the photo above.

Back toward the front of the house, opposite the Japanese quince, are two more forsythia bushes. They will be a lovely blaze of color in the spring. The white tag is on a Russian pomegranate, bought bare root from Tyty Nursery in Tyty, Georgia. It is supposed to be hardy enough to withstand our zone 7 winters. It looks every bit as dead as the two paulownias, but -- high hopes!

In the back corner are some sickly looking azaleas. They are different from the healthy batch up near the house. Their blooms are all on the bottom. I need to learn more about azaleas!

Across the way from the sickly azaleas there was a Knockout rose that was incredibly overgrown. It didn't appear ever to have been pruned. It was as tall as the fence, a good 6 feet. It has been cut waaaay back, but should revive. There was a little ivy vine hiding beneath it, as well as a baby snake about the size of a robust earthworm. There was some debate among the crew as to whether is was a copperhead, but no agreement was reached. 

And so it stands. Time to haul out the hosepipe and start watering.