Why do my knees and back hurt? Oh, yeah…

Two days, two people, one hundred nine plants planted. Exhausting, but so rewarding.

Plants from Cistus, DIG, Sky Nursery, Swanson's, Classic Nursery, Molbak's, Go Natives Nursery, Kruckeberg Botanical Garden, and divisions of our own stock.

Obsessed with Plants

I'm even more obsessed with plants lately than I usually am. With a large area in the front garden available for planting, plants seem to be the only things on my mind.

This beautiful foliage belongs to Actaea simplex Atropurpurea Group. We don't know the exact cultivar, but it's possibly Hillside Black Beauty.

 The steely purple-silver blooms of Allium christophii pair nicely with the flowers of an Itoh hybrid peony.

Clerodendrum trichotomum 'Carnival' will grow into a small tree. It has foliage that smells like peanut butter and small flowers that pack a big scent.

 This spiky gem is Eryngium venustum. There's nothing else that quite looks like this. Planting these is going to be somewhat of an adventure!

 Geranium 'Ann Folkard' is quite a rambunctious scrambler, its intense magenta and black flowers waving on long stems above golden foliage. The growth rate of this geranium is astounding.

A beautiful dark Siberian Iris, with luscious velvety petals. This iris has a very upright habit.

Ledebouria cooperi is a tasty rock garden bulb from South Africa. Love those stripes!

Dramatic foliage of Lorapetalum chinense 'Zhuzhou Pink.' The hot pink flowers of this Chinese Fringe Tree look great against the maroon foliage.

A variegated Nerium oleander with red flowers.

 Ugni molinae 'Flambeau,' or Chilean Guava, grows to about three feet by three feet. Variegated foliage and reddish stems pack a lot of pizzazz.

 Uncinia rubra 'Belinda's Find,' the New Zealand Red Hook Sedge, is a great, tidy, small-scale grass-like plant for mixed borders. When winters are mild, no spring maintenance is required.

Zanthoxylum piperatum, or Japanese Pepper Tree.

Another Siberian Iris. I think this is spectacularly beautiful.

Planting and Plants, Part 1

 Now comes the fun part.

This first bed, which welcomes visitors to our home, is now nearly completely planted. We will add sedums and other gentle ground covers, such as wooly thyme. Plants here include Kniphofia northiae, Lobelia laxiflora var. angustifolia, Heuchera 'Peach Flambé,' Solanum laciniatum, Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow,' Geranium 'Rosanne,' a terrestrial bromeliad whose name escapes me, Agave parryi var. truncata, Olearia lepidophylla, and Eryngium agavifolium.

These plants waiting placement include Agapanthus 'Midnight Blue,' Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy,' Hesperaloe parviflora, and Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skie.'

Some interesting foliage and texture from Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink,' and a variegated Ugni molinae. Our granite frog awaits final positioning.

This little cutie is Agave parryi var. truncata. This species is cold-hardy, but doesn't like winter wet. Some people build rain shelters over their agaves in the northwest, but we think we'll take our chances because of our good drainage. Those black spines are sharp!

This agave relative is Beschorneria albiflora. It needs to be planted away from the edge of the path due to its eventual size of 4-5 feet wide.

More perennials and grasses wait their turn.

So much more to do…