Oh yeah, I mulched with southern pine nuggets this year. Should really increase the soil nutrients compared to regular mulch and also help trend the pH lower for the rhododendrons.
Overview of front yard looking southeast.
A ton of cannas in one corner of the big bed.
'Black Beauty' elephant ear. These are on each side of the big ensete maureliis.
Pink pampas grass. Let's see how this does.
Hens and chicks in their second season. They are in front of each ensete maurelii.
Middle of the big bed. "Banana patch". Musa orinoco in the back and new musa basjoo in the front. Croton on each side.
Croton closeup.
Another wide angle shot ... this time facing northeast.
Closeup on the other corner of the large bed. It, too, is filled with a ton of cannas. Mixture of short and tall. Should look great once they all bloom. Never got much into cannas, so let's see if they liven up my garden.
Another bed. Ensete maurelii, yucca 'color guard', musa thai black and a rhododendron.
Rhododendron is in full bloom.
Closeup.
Largely perennial bed with a few tropical treasures.
Lupine is sending up a flower stalk in the perennial bed.
Now for some of the tropical treasures. This is a ficus sylvie that I found at a local garden center. I love the leaves -- they almost exactly look like the variegation on an AE AE banana.
My 4 year old daughter picked this plant out at the local garden center. She just had to have it, so I added it to my garden for the summer. Found out it is a zone 11 plant. Hmmmm, looks like I'm digging it up by mid September, lol! It's an emerald ripple peperomia.
Largest trachy is pushing fronds out left and right. LOL.
I took a look in the center and there are 5 unopened spears if you count the one that is barely starting to open. I've never seen a palm push that many at once.
Other trachy is pushing 3 at a time. It's going to be left in the dust, lol. Speed up!!!
Last bed. Severely damaged magnolia in middle with undamaged yucca 'color guard' on each end. New magnolia '24 below' going in as soon as I receive it.
Shot of the lawn. Mixture of pencross and A4 bentgrass. Mowed at 3/4" every other day with a reel mower.
Soil temperature has pushed into the 60s where it shall remain until early October. Yeah!!!
Thanks for looking!
I held off on mulching this year til this weekend versus April. Soil temp is in the 60s, so all should be good. I like the fully mulched look, lol!
