Going Native
Though it is still winter, this past week brought some activity to the garden. My aspirations as a wildlife gardener took another step. The perennial garden next to the driveway has been replaced by a new bed of native plants. The old rockery which had been built from on-site stones was removed and replaced with a new stone wall. The perennials which grew here have been moved to the beds in the front yard. I believe this new native plant garden will be a more appropriate asset for attracting wildlife. I was never happy with the old perennial bed. In late spring, it looked pretty good (above). By the midsummer drought, however, it became a bit overgrown and weedy looking, at least, to my taste. Moles would burrow behind the rockery pushing dirt and rocks onto the driveway. Despite my efforts to improve it, my glacial soil was never quite right for perennials. The spectacular blooming display I had envisioned did not mate...