A Design Emerges

When we had the big bulky Spanish broom shrub taken out, I knew I'd have an open space to make a new garden. I had Jeronimo bring in some soil, and had him add a curved edging of chunky rocks. He kept asking me what I was going to plant there -- he needed to put in the irrigation emitters in the right places -- but I had no idea. Which is not like me, I overdesign and overthink everything before any project even starts.

I had no concept of what I wanted to plant there. No pre-conceived design in mind. So after he left, saying he'd be back in spring to add emitters, I just put the turquoise ceramic birdbath in the middle of the area for something to look at.

I had taken out some blue fescue grasses where they were crowded in the garden and put them in three red pots. The pots are lined up to hide the standing irrigation pipe and lid of the control box.

And just like that a design started forming.

It was all ad hoc, as I started planting the base of the birdbath with seedlings and some dug up plants I had been babying in sick bay.

I liked it. Just the eye-popping blue birdbath, surrounded by some low plants and setting off the shaggy looking redbud in the distance and the crabapple in the foreground. Both of those little trees need to gain some height and fill out and shelter this new space. They will.

Inspired now, I began adding some of the chunky rocks by the fence line and I plopped down a metal plant stand I already had to serve as a bench. I hung an old birdhouse on the fence.

And the shepherd's crook pole next to the bench has a slinky hung from it -- you can just see the rings if you look closely at the shot below. I transplanted my Sweet Summer Love clematis from a pot to the bottom of this pole and it will climb by clinging its tendrils to the slinky. My genius hack.

There are some kinnikinnik plants in front of the rocks, which will spread out to make a woody evergreen ground cover in and around the stones and under the bench. They had been languishing under the Spanish broom.

It was all random as I assembled things I already had and plants I had dug up or saved. Once the design began emerging I had to stop myself from adding more tchotchkes and more plants and additional rocks and stuff. The key to this garden is to edit it carefully. But it was surprising how many orphan plants I had that were perfect, and how many items -- birdbath, birdhouse, pole, bench, pots and more -- I could gather from items in the garage.

I did not buy a plant or purchase a garden element for this new area. (I do have to buy mulch, the dirt needs to be covered.)

As a reminder, some before and after shots: 

Before the Spanish broom was removed .  .  .
. . . and after: the blank space I needed to design.

Before the Spanish broom came out, and after the new design had developed.
 I can see the little redbud tree now. Much better!

This all came together in an afternoon and I don't want to add more. The trees need to grow and do their thing to contribute to the composition, the plants under the birdbath need to mingle together, and the clematis needs to climb the slinky. Then we'll see if this design works.

It's already better than what was there.