Yes, we know exactly what you mean! Our latest project located along US-31 fits that description to a tee. ​Our task, install a new front lawn with additional landscaping to help block the noise & dust from the road that's relatively maintenance free, visually stunning with year-round interest. Topsoil was trucked in and the Pillywiggins went to work contouring a berm & seeding the lawn by hand.

Uh-oh! Somebody drove through our newly seeded lawn - 2 days in a row! Bad driver or bad manners? It's hard to say. There are plenty of both in this world. Either way, it was only a minor inconvenience. ​​Jason is persnickety about his grass seed. He was onsite every morning before heading off to work tending to the new lawn until it was well established. He was able to make repairs before any real damage was done. The new lawn filled in nicely without any trace of the tire tracks.

​We ran the main irrigation line throughout the berm but we were still working with the homeowners to select the perfect plants for their project. So, we applied mulch before planting to prohibit weed growth & add visual appeal until our plants arrived. Let's face it. Without plants or mulch, a berm is nothing more than a big ol' pile of dirt. There's not much appealing about that.

Nursery stock began arriving by the truckload late Friday afternoon. The largest load (perennials, shrubs & trees) arrived bright & early Saturday morning. We were so excited to see our purchases we had the truck unloaded in record time, by 8:00 a.m. It was all beautiful nursery stock. What a great way to start a Pillywiggin's day!

​We chose drought tolerant plants hardy enough to withstand their close proximity to the road. (Many perennials are unable to tolerate the salt & snow from the plow trucks.) We also looked for deer & rabbit resistant plants. We wouldn't want to attract our furry friends to the roadside.

It has taken many years to build our hosta collection mostly because hostas are expensive & I'm a bargain shopper. I always look for new varieties in the bargain bins of garden centers but truth be told, I've purchased very few at stores. I bought a wheelbarrow full at a local garden club's annual plant sale. We have salvaged clumps from the spoils of our projects. I have purchased them at garage sales & happily accepted tiny starts from gardening friends. All have been split numerous times. 

I love the contrast provided by variegated hosta. I have several in green/white and green/yellow. I'm also partial to those with a large, heart-shaped leaf. My absolute favorites are the jumbo variety. The bigger the better. They're so impressive. But, I find the hosta's flower equally impressive. Their flowers are just as varied in size, shape & color. Each as interesting & beautiful as their foliage. Funny enough, as much as I love my giant hosta, my favorite hosta flowers are the tiny dark purple blooms that belong to the smallest, most compact, thin-leafed hosta we own. Go figure.

We have three different hosta in bloom with more on the way. But that's not all. Here's a look at everything else in bloom today.

We want to hear from you! Love them or lop them? Will hosta blossoms get 2 green thumbs up or is it "Hosta  la vista baby?" Leave your comments below or visit our Facebook page to share your thoughts & garden photos.

I know, I'm sad too. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers. Years ago I bought every hydrangea I could find at an end of the year clearance sale. Each one a different variety although some were missing tags. All in 3 gallon pots, scraggly, ugly, half-dead but for $5 each I was willing to take a chance. They were originally $45! Turns out, they were a great buy. They all recovered beautifully. I look forward to their blooms and Jason's beautiful bouquets each year.

The large leaf varieties seem to have taken the hardest hit. Of the hydrangea shown below, we trimmed all of the dead wood out of the top two but they are not likely to bloom. The bottom two are planted behind our house in sheltered beds. Both had live and dead wood. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they will blossom!

Not all of our hydrangeas suffered. We have a spreading variety that is doing exceptionally well. It is covered in buds and honey bees! ​Our limelight hydrangea is also doing well and starting to bloom. Limelights are known to be extremely cold hardy. The jury is still out if our 3 hydrangea trees will bloom.

Luckily, Mother Nature has a way of making up for garden disappointments. It may not be a stellar year for hydrangea but our spring tulips and peony were absolutely spectacular. Check out our tulip blog posts on May 19th and May 21st then click through the slideshow below to see how our garden is doing today.
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