Spot Removal

I had three spots within the garden that I had not yet tended. 

One was the location of a Purple Fountain Grass that I have planted in a spot that I have struggled with for the past couple of years. It’s an annual, but they are relatively cheap and when fully grown and flowering, it will looks nice.

The other was the spot where I had transplanted a small boxwood back in 2021. 

2021

At the end of last year, over the winter, and early this spring I could tell something was wrong with the boxwood. I suspect that the location was not allowing the roots of the plant to expand enough. The foliage on the plant was thinning and it looked like if I didn't move it, I might loose it. So, I relocated it to the front yard herb garden where the soil, water, and sunny location should help it recuperate. It’s a very slow grower, so it’s  unlikely that I would need to move it anytime soon. So far it has been doing better. It will just take some time to heal.

In its place, I planted a Grape Expectations Coral Bell (Heuchera 'Grape Expectation').  It’s a mounding perennial that prefers 1-3 hours or sun and shade. Perfect for this spot in the garden. I have not always had good luck with Coral Bells, essentially in this spot. I dug a much deeper hole within the rocks and replaced all the soil with newly amended soil in the hope that this might solve the problem. I'll have to wait until next year to see if the plant returns as expected.

I also needed to fill in the spot where I once planted some Orchid Frost Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum 'Orchid Frost') next to the Dwarf Korean Fir. The slugs did a lot of damage last summer. Only a small remnant remains, so I put it in a bucket and will try to revive it over the summer. In the meantime, the void is being filled with a Foamy Flower Heucherella (Heucherella 'Sweet Tea'). I like the cinnamon color that darkens in the summer and then lightens in the fall. Again, I haven't had much luck with Heucherella in the past, but I amended the soil and am willing to give it a try. I find that slugs don't usually like these because the leaves are scratchy. We will have to see what happens.

In the meantime, the garden is almost complete for this season. I only have a couple of areas I still want to rework, but having these three spots filled is a major step forward.