Southern Mid Summer
Summer in the south can be delightful, but very hot most times. So when we find bushes and plants that can take the heat, we snatch them up! The plants in these photos of our front yard are tried and true southern performers who, when established, mostly just need occasional watering and fertilizing. And, as you can see, they are the backbones of the summer garden.
This photo was taken from our front porch a month or so ago. The magnolia tree had put forth it’s blossoms and they were very fragrant. The hydrangea is called Incrediball and it is a hydrangea that I recommend to anyone in the south and probably elsewhere. It is an amazing hydrangea! Just outstanding. The little shrubs in the background are small Japanese spireas called Yeti that only grows 2’ to 3’ tall. The next photo is of the Burford hollies in our front yard. I am ready to take these out; they grow to about 4’ tall and are a pain to prune. I just pruned them down; I didn’t have a chance to prune them last year, so they got out of hand. They have recovered from this hard pruning, but I will prune them hard again next year and then make a decision about replacing them.
The Burford hollies in the previous photo are at the bottom front of our yard. The hydrangea shown here is as you start up the other side of our front yard. It is an Endless Summer hydrangea and it didn’t bloom last year. But this year it was amazing. I have no idea why. Then more of the Yeti spireas, very nice plant. I pruned them after they were done blooming and now they are blooming again, although not as much. The last photo is another very pretty hydrangea along our property line.
The first photo here is of the pathway that leads from our front door around to our side yard pathway. The white and green variegated hostas, a variety called Patriot, come up every year and need very little care except watering. The ones on the other side of the path are called Rainforest Sunrise. They aren’t as hardy but are very pretty. They need a little more shade than they get, I think, so the jury is still out on them. The plants right below them are a prostrate form of yew that are doing very well. The center photo is along the steps up to our porch; easy care plants. The last photo here is a banana tree that we planted years ago. It has finally come into it’s own after the leylands were taken down.
Final thought:
Each season in a garden has it’s joys and each season is the best—until the next season comes along. One of the nicest things about a deep summer garden is the sense of calm that it brings. The exuberance and energy of a spring garden is done; now the garden—and the gardeners—are resting before a final burst of energy in the fall. It’s a relaxing time—summer in the south.