I haven't mentioned the new retaining wall since this post in May, so I have some catching up to do. The first batch of planting was done in May, which was the start of the dry months, but the area was watered by the sprinkler that I had set up to water the lawn above and below the wall. I think that helped over the dry summer, although almost everything I'm planting here is drought tolerant.
Some type of bees moved into the rocks on the south end early in the summer so then I couldn't do any weeding or planting on that side until they died in December. They were living in the rocks or ground between them, but I'm certain they were the same black and yellow striped bees that were all over my flowers. I can't find any info online about bees that are pollinators that live in the ground, so that's a mystery.
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| Looking north, March, April, May and December |
Planted on top of the rock wall:
- Arctostaphylos x media 'Port Angeles'
- Hebe pimeleoides 'Quick Silver'
- Sedum divergens
- Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
- Helianthemum 'Wisley Pink'
- Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'
- Hebe odora 'Patty's Purple'
These will all stay short and spread, except the arctostaphylos could grow to 3 feet tall.
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| Looking south |
There is a larger planting area on the south end, which I have filled with:
In between the walls, I wanted plants that will creep over the concrete wall but also some that will be visible from above.
Below the ramp on the north end:
The lawn on the top was seeded with PT 770 Water Less Eco-Lawn Mix from ProTime Lawn Seed in Portland. The yarrow was most abundant over the summer, now the clover and grasses are filling in more. I think it'll be a good mix, now have to do a little more overseeding on the ends where we didn't dig up all of the existing grass.
I've mentioned a few more plants for spring, but mostly I'll just be waiting for everything to grow in! I'll end with a couple more comparison shots, I really like how the back yard is so much more open now.
- Ceanothus thyrsifolia 'Victoria'
- Gladiolus purple bulbs
- Liatris spicata 'Floristan Violet' bulbs
- Achillea millefolium 'Desert Eve Red'
- Pinus contorta var. latifolia 'Chief Joseph'
- Hibiscus syriacus 'Helene'
- Artichoke, Purple of Romanga - grown from seed
- Lewisia - transplanted from below, may not survive
The liatris was lovely this summer, I don't know why I've never grown it before. And the Chief Joseph shore pine glows in the winter gloom. It remains to be seen if the Hibiscus will thrive, it may need more water than I'm willing to give it.
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| Chief Joseph shore pine, artichokes, ceanothus and hebe |
In between the walls, I wanted plants that will creep over the concrete wall but also some that will be visible from above.
I planted rosemary in the early summer and then the rest late in the fall (after the bees died!):
- Prostrate rosemary
- Yarrow - a volunteer
- Linaria purpurea 'Purple Toadflax'
- Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly'
- Xerophyllum tenax, Bear Grass - grown from seed
- Crocosmia - various bulbs transplanted from below
- Helianthum 'Henfield Brilliant' and 'Wisley Primrose' - transplanted from below
The crocosmia and helianthum are on the north end, for a red/orange/yellow theme, and I'm looking at kniphofia and zauschneria to add in the spring. The south end is more purple/pink and I've been eyeing a pink blooming zauschneria and phlomis tuberosa or phlomis cashmeriana. Then perhaps some white blooming groundcover cistus in between the rosemary, if there is any room left.
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| Looking north |
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| Rosemary is creeping over the wall already |
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| Looking south, March, April, May and December |
Below the ramp on the north end:
- Ceanothus gloriosus 'Point Reyes'
- Lewisia - transplanted from below, may not survive
- Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'
- Lessingia filaginifolia 'Silver Carpet'
- Allium azureum bulbs
- Iris reticulata 'Pixie' bulbs
- Muscari neglectum bulbs
- Humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata' - tulip bulbs
The bulbs were just planted in October and I've already forgotten exactly where I put them. I think the irises are starting to come up now though. I have a cistus bush ready to plant above the rocks in the spring, and ordered some west coast native flower seeds (more California than Washington) to plant below the rocks.
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| North end, below the ramp |
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| Looking south from above, March, April, May and December |
The lawn on the top was seeded with PT 770 Water Less Eco-Lawn Mix from ProTime Lawn Seed in Portland. The yarrow was most abundant over the summer, now the clover and grasses are filling in more. I think it'll be a good mix, now have to do a little more overseeding on the ends where we didn't dig up all of the existing grass.
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| June 8 |
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| June 23 |
I've mentioned a few more plants for spring, but mostly I'll just be waiting for everything to grow in! I'll end with a couple more comparison shots, I really like how the back yard is so much more open now.
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| Looking east from the north end, March and December |
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| A much different feel for the back yard! |
