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The bed beneath this Camellia shrub needs work two or three times each season. There are Daffodils planted here, and seedling Hellebores I planted in spring. But over summer, grasses grow and the seashell border gets buried. I spent a few hours before the rains began this week to freshen it up, a bit.
Last spring’s planting of Alyssum didn’t make it past July. But most of the little Hellebores have survived the summer.
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I’ve added quite a few bulbs here: some fall blooming Crocus and a few for spring; and some Muscari. I also decided to stop fooling with annuals and plant ground cover to carpet the soil under the Hellebores and around the bulbs. I’ve planted divisions of Ajuga from a pot and Creeping Jenny from the bog garden.
I’ve also added two Autumn ‘Brilliance’ ferns, which will grow well here in partial shade. They will blend into the next bed over where ferns have already been established for the last year or two.
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I began using shells in this bed to hold the compost and discourage digging by the squirrels. It works… most of the time….
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Blessed with overcast cool days and near constant rain, I trust everything is getting off to a good start. For the moment, at least, this bed is finally Looking Good!
Please check out Gillian’s new meme, “Looking Good!” which she publishes each Friday on her blog, Country Gardens UK. I appreciate this opportunity to focus on what is beautiful and successful in the garden each week.
Woodland Gnome 2015
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This same bed at the end of last March
Forest Garden 
I love the seashell border – it defines and lightens, drawing the eye in. Bet you must be happy to extreme heat is behind you!
Thank you, Eliza. We are thrilled with this stretch of cooler weather. We’ve had a good stretch of days in the 60s now and we are thoroughly spoiled. SO many leaves have come down here! As things dry out a little, there will be good gardening days ahead!
Things are always looking good as long as I look in the right places and avert my gaze from the spots I haven’t gotten to yet.
Ditto 😉
I find it hard to believe that bed was weedy, it looks like it’s always been so neat!
I like the colors of the ajuga with the creeping Jenny, I think that combo will work out great. Also my hellebores are just starting to grow again after the long summer. I bet in a few weeks yours will take off as well and bloom in no time!
You are very kind. The tenacity of grass and weeds to survive always amazes me! The grass had encroached on this space by about 3″ all around, covering many of the shells on their original border. I filled a wheelbarrow! The Hellebores were first year seedlings moved up from where they had self seeded around another bed. They may not bloom for another year or two. I will be thrilled if they give me a bloom this year! I moved about six more seedlings to really fill it in. The dark purple Ajuga and chartreuse Creeping Jenny will keep things lively here year round. I’m just starting some winter Cyclamen from tubers, and want to plant some along this area next month. We see this bed daily, and so I want it to sparkle (and not fill again with grass!)
I like what you’ve done. I am simplifying my garden too. I hope I’m not getting too tired to garden! Happy fall to you. Koko❀
Gardening can be exhausting, but it also renews the spirit. I think it is a good metaphor for life. The cooler days of fall allow me to get much more done than the hot humid days of late summer. There is a lot more weeding and trimming which needs doing in our garden at the moment! Happy fall to you! Thank you, Koko <3<3<3
Your garden is Looking Good! You are brave to tackle tidying up a bed before the rain. I always wait until we’ve had a good downpour then the ground is easier to work. That’s what’s so great about gardening … we all have our own methods and 9 times out of 10 things work out very well.
Thank you, Gillian. We are of one mind about waiting until the ground is soft and moist to work the Earth. We’ve had two solid weeks of rain here, with few breaks in between. It was raining again before I finished and cleaned up from that little project 😉 ❤
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