Butterfly Garden

After the excavation of the patio location, we had a very large pile of dirt just to the north of that spot. It sat there until right before we finally built the patio. After it was removed and the patio constructed, a very hard packed, but nicely shaped, dead spot was left. I convinced Doyle that the shape would make a nice flower bed. So my tiller loving (hating) husband got to work making that hard earth into something I could plant into. We had an unusual number of butterflies this year and the idea was born to make it a butterfly specific bed. I edged it with river rock and this coming spring the edge of lawn will have a much nicer margin. It always takes a season to re-establish that pretty line after tilling. I do keep the grass killed off about 8 inches from the rock. This helps to keep grass out of the flower beds. It is also much easier to mow around if I can put the mower tire in the dirt spot and follow the pattern. I have butterfly bushes, coriopsis, daylillies, worm wood (artemesia) and an old fashioned bleeding heart. Keeping the buttercups out is a chore but I have found so far that simply trimming them works pretty well. They must spread by runner contact. I did weed cloth this new bed because that is what I learned to do after many years of starting over when the grass won out. I also added 4 inches of super fine bark mulch and watered the heck out of it all summer long. Hopefully all of it comes back this year. There is also a young Stanley Plum planted here. I even got 5 plums off of it this year, next season ought to be a good one. Seems to take 3 years or so around here. Keep your fingers crossed that spring is on it's way! (I am kind of tired of the cold:D)