Mid Season Makeover, Part 2

After the morning slug fest, I continued to work on new plantings and garden maintenance.

I began by reworking the area in front of the Moon Window. During the fence repairs and updates, I had done a good job trampling anything that once grew in this area. Originally I had a couple of Astilbe on either side of the Moon Window opening. However, last year both were eaten from below by voles. The key to stoping the Voles is to place small jagged stones in with the soils as your are planting. This will deter them from eating the roots from underneath, which is usually how they attack.

This time, I planted two Rheinland Astible (Astible X Arendsii "Rhinland'). The blooms have already come and gone for this season, but they should prove to be a bright redish/pink next summer.

In addition, I had some Jurassic Gold Wood Ferns directly below the opening. I liked the look, so I replanted new versions of each in the same location.

The Jurassic Gold Wood Ferns (Dryopteris wallichiana "Jurassic Gold") have a nice golden color in the early spring. I won't see that color until next year, but they do look different than the Japanese painted Ferns that are near by, helping to differentiate the Moon Window from the rest of the fence.

I also used some stray ferns that had appeared elsewhere in the garden to fill in any gaps along the long edge of the fence where the Japanese painted Ferns are located.

After adding some new cedar mulch, I am pleased with the results.