Some Updates from the Stepchild Garden

I seem to have gone from one extreme to another...no posts for a couple of weeks, and now multiples in one day!

In any case, here are some updates from the stepchild garden at home. I'm on a mission to get some of the structural things done soon, so I can plant some more things prior to the tour in May.

Here are the trellis/tuteurs that came from Sean Conway's book Cultivating Life. We've never really an "entrance" to the back garden, so these guys are now marking the implied gate. I planted them with Jasmine "Madison," which should put on a great show in May.

The next photo is the ajuga bed, that's been planted with "Dixie Chip" ajuga. Once it fills in, it should form a pretty solid blanket. My friend Carolyn is assembling a creeping fig-covered topiary form of a teddy bear, and I think I'll use an actual pillow on the bed.

The last photo is a closeup of Ilex meserva "Blue Princess," which is a favorite of mine, though it doesn't seem to be used that much here in the south. I love the super bright berries against the almost black foliage!