It's late summer and the heat is really getting to me! Sometimes I don't think I can stand it and wish I could go to the north pole for a little while. Many plants, though, certainly can take the heat, and they really thrive around here with very little help.
The garden at my parents' house is a perfect example of using drought and heat tolerant plants that really require no extra attention. As large as their plot is, the strategy is a good one. If a plant doesn't thrive on its own or requires a lot of extra water to stay alive, it's not getting a spot here- a little tough love, if you will. This yard is all perennials, too, with the exception of a few planters here and there. It really is an oasis in the city, and the only thing that reminds you that no, you are not in the country, is the occasional faint hum of the MARTA train in the distance. This garden is a wildlife sanctuary and is home to many birds.
Nestled on the corner of a gravel road, the entire property is about 1 1/2 acres, part of which is a deep ravine that I have fond memories of exploring as a child. The creek at the bottom is where I spent a lot of time catching crawfish and salamanders and I learned about native plants, such as Trillium and ferns, along the path that led down to the bottom.
The garden as it exists now was not nearly as extensive back then, but has grown over the years as gardens will. About a decade ago my parents did a major overhaul and had a dry river bed installed, along with a fish pond and many many plants. Their goal- to have not one blade of grass that needed mowing- has been reached, but maintaining and improving the landscape is certainly no less trouble to keep up. Trouble is not the right word, though, as my mom would be happy to spend all day every day out there in her paradise. A friend gave her an engraved stone which says it all...At Peace In My Garden.
Here are some photos I snapped this week, in the heat of the midday sun. They really don't do the garden justice!
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| One of several paths leading to the dry river bed |
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| Two views of the dry river bed |
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Dad converted the playhouse he built for us into a shed
and I painted the door |
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| Reclaimed window on the shed |
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| Black-eyed Susans are everywhere! |
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| They are a great source of food for birds in the fall |
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One of the stone stacks my dad builds- inspired by the cairns
in Iceland- and a beautiful rock surface |
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| A stone "snake" |
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| Hibiscus are absolutely awesome |
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| Leaf of a Canna Lily |
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| Fish pond, and home to several vocal bullfrogs |
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| Butterfly bush |
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| Bright Garden Phlox |
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| Chartreuse leaves and pretty orchid-like bloom of a Toad Lily |
