Roses are fabulous plants if you can take care of them.

The plants in front of our house hadn’t been in years. I tried to give them some love, but realized what they needed was expert care.

We decided it was time for them to go to a better home and arranged for my uncle to pick them up.

I pruned the roses back so Nate could remove them easily then he dug them out one by one.

Now our yard is a little more bare, but we have big plans in the coming years to completely re-landscape.

I am really happy the roses will be taken care of. They are such majestic plants that deserve the proper care and attention.

After a lot of thought and research, I bought our first batch of plants for our front flower bed.

I went with a modern casual look that brings together lots of textures and bright jewel tones to compliment our celery house color. Of course, the plants will take some time to grow in, but I am pretty confident (ha! fingers crossed) it will look fabulous.

The Grasses

Let’s start with the ornamental grasses. Perfect for our climate, they give that modern look I am after.

To save cost, I divided two of the grasses in half. This is easy to do – just cut through the plant evenly in half or quarters. You want them to be able to establish a strong root system so divide them in spring or early summer when they are are growing, but not flowering.

Purple Fountain Grass
(pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’)

I planted four Rubrums. They are a pretty common grass in these parts and can grow up to 3-4 feet tall. They will begin to flower this summer with soft purple foxtails. Then in late fall, when the leaves start to turn brown they will go dormant until spring.

Fireworks – a variegated fountain grass
(pennisetum setaceum)

According to my research, this plant was the first variegated purple fountain grass and a pretty hot ticket item when it came out. I bought only one because some reviews said it goes back to the original fountain grass color when it gets older so I’ll see what happens. I will say that the plant is pretty cool looking with leaves that are burgundy along the middle and hot pink on either side. It behaves like the Rubrums so will flower in the summer then can be cut back in late fall to return the following spring.

Sky Rocket – a variegated fountain grass
(pennisetum setaceum)

I believe the Sky Rocket plant came off the success of Fireworks. I like how it looks against the house and the contrast against the purple grasses. It will have silvery pink foxtails this summer.

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Blooms & Vine

Mixed into the grasses are a few bright blooms and a potato vine. I plan to add a bunch of ferns my Mom is going to to give me.

Supertunia Raspberry Blast
(petunia hybrid)

Supertunia is a petunia bred to bloom in hot temperatures. This guy can get quite large – perfect for a big color statement. I was afraid he’s a little too grandma garden for me – but I love the color so I just went for it.

Sutera Snowstorm Giant Snowflake
(sutera cordata)

Sutera has white blossoms that attract butterflies and should flower all summer long. The only issue I found in my research is it will not wilt when it dries out like other plants. Instead, it just drops all of it’s flowers and won’t bloom again for a couple weeks. I will have to make sure it’s well watered so that doesn’t happen.

Purple Trailing Lantana
(lantana montevidensis)

The blooms on the Lantana are also great for attracting butterflies. I bought three which will become a mass of lilac pink to purple blooms spring to fall. I’ve read that the foliage will change to a red or purple color in the colder months. I have an orange Lantata which survived our winter fine, so I think these guys will do well.

Sweet Caroline Purple Potato Vine
(ipomoea batatas)

The potato vine will eventually spill over the side of the bed with it lovely plum leaves and light purple blooms. It was planted strategically next to ugly plumbing so it can hopefully cover it. I’ve planted these before, but they died during the winter months. To keep them alive, I’ve read you can dig out the tubers and store in a cool dry container until spring.

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With temperatures in the 90′s this week, I am keeping a close eye on all the new plants. I’ll be checking them morning and night to keep them watered. Next up is adding the ferns and planting our bed under our front window.

Nicotiana

In shades of pink…

… and yellow

I am looking for bright flowers especially in pinks and purples. I love Nicotinia, but have just seen it in white and light pink – never bright colors. I definitely want some of those.

Rock Purslane

This is the first time I have seen Rock Purslane. I want to research it more before purchasing.

Lantana

Lantana is a great plant. We already have an orange one. I’d love to get more.

Well, obviously my plans for warm weather were a little premature. Currently we are in middle of a big storm that even shut down the Amgen bike tour for a day and a half.

Can you see the tiny hail balls? These little guys are about as weather crazy as it gets here in Sacramento. But hail in mid-May? That’s plain insanity.

Luckily, Nate knocked out the trim right before the storm came in. We chose our favorite Behr white – Frost for the window and door trim.

The front porch is coming right along. Now, we need to get some plants in the flower bed and finish the look.

This includes the bed along the full length of the house as soon as the weather improves. I am still thinking a mixture of grasses and shade tolerant flowers. Perhaps some ferns in the porch bed.

And for a bit of fun

Here’s us hamming it up at Senior Ball Saturday night. Nate and I usually chaperone two dances a year and the formals are our favorite. There’s a lot less drama and of course its fun to see everyone dressed up.

I love vegetable gardens for so many reasons. Watching plants grow from seedlings. Exploring the ecosystem surrounding the garden. The smell of tomato plants when you touch them. And of course harvesting the vegetables.

I even love watering the plants before work and then checking on them when I get home.

First summer in the house, I planted vegetables in the backyard as soon as we moved in. It was a late planting but I didn’t care. I had a decent crop with transplanted plants, but the yard didn’t get enough sun to replant the veggies there the following year.

So I moved the veg garden to the side of our house. Unfortunately it was another bust. This was worst than the first year. Not enough sun caused fungi and nastiness on most of the plants.

And now this year our backyard is a mess. We’ve killed off half of it for a new patio we will be installing soon. The rest is still too shady, but I still want vegetables. So, I have decided to go with a container garden next to the pool. We think this is the one place in the backyard that gets eight hours of sun. So fingers crossed.

In the containers, I planted Spring varieties like lettuce, chard, radishes, carrots and sweet peas. I also have a pot of cat grass for the kitties.

Inside I started herbs from seed that will be transplanted once they are big enough. I got oregano, basil, cilantro and sage so far. I can’t believe I already have a few starts.

Once the temperatures rise, I’ll start a new crop of tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Those guys will be transplants since I didn’t start the seeds early enough this year.

Anyone else starting their vegetable garden? What are you planting?