Finally, time to take some “after” pictures of the front garden…but there is a problem. You can’t even see many of the plants I selected! They are so small that they fade into the background. I can see them, but the camera can’t.
So there is no sweeping, grand, after shot. How disappointing. These are the best I could capture...please put on your future glasses and imagine them all grown up. Imagine the Cotinus in the picture below actually bigger than the blooming Euphorbia...what Cotinus you say? Exactly. But trust me it’s there…to the left of the Euphorbia.
The two pictures above are looking north. This one was taken looking south.
For fun I thought I would share our view from inside the house, looking south.
Ok I stepped out on the sidewalk for this one, but I am still back to the house looking south. There's the Cotinus.
And now looking north.
So while the overall shots leave much to be desired the good news is that if you look close there are fabulous things to be seen! Things that will someday grow up and make a statement, I hope. Here are a few close-up vignettes throughout the front garden (I'll try to identify all the plants at the end).
And last up a few single plant spotlights for those of you curious about identification (some of these are rather like mug shots I’m afraid) if I miss something you're curious about leave a comment and I'll reply with the name. There are multiples of many of these, and others just a single specimen. Corokia cotoneaster, very cool plant…almost impossible to get a good photo of.
This little succulent was mixed in with the Sempervivum at the local grocery store nursery. I'm pretty sure its not hardy but for $1.99 I went ahead and bought it anyway. I've got no name on it. So cute!
Sempervivum arachnoideum
Kniphofia caulescens
Eryngium giganteum
Eryngium variifolium
Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea'
Echium wildpretii...actually over-wintered in the ground! (frost cloth with and overturned terra cotta pot on the cold nights and days).
Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’
Carmichaelia odorata
Puya coerulea, I bought three of these at Dancing Oaks last summer, fully expecting them to not make it through the winter. The good news is that this one did! (the bad news is one died and the jury is still out on the third).
Halimium x pauanum, planted too close to the Euphorbia but in another month when I cut back the Euphorbia blooms it will be able to shine!
Hesperaloe parviflora
Podocarpus alpinus 'Orangeade'
Callistemon sieberi
Yucca rostrata
Eryngium agavifolium
Pittosporum divaricatum
Unknwn Cylindropuntia (a gift from the same neighbor who gave me the Opuntia paddles).
Verbascum olympicum
Genista aetnensis
Hallelujah! The Eucomis 'Oakhurst' are all coming back! Maybe this year I'll get blooms again after they took last year off to rest and recover from the cold temps.
Yucca 'Color Guard'
Yucca 'Bright Star'
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths,' this is the one I'm hoping will grow in a more upright mannor.
Unknown Sempervivum
Sedum Chocolate Ball, I bought a couple of this sedum last summer and could find nothing about it's hardiness, turns out to be fine. At least in Zone 8.
Unknown Yucca's dug from a my brother's yard in Spokane.
Muehlenbeckia astonii
Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red' not a bit of protection last winter.
'Blue Pacific' Shore Juniper
Ceonothus 'Pt Reyes'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Harmony,' this is the one growing at a jaunty wind-swept angle.
Cotinus ‘Royal Purple'
So there you have it, the finished project in its infant stages. More pictures than you wanted to see right? I’ve already bought a couple of other things to plant, and when the plants start to grow a bit I’m sure I’ll add a few more rocks (yes maybe even a couple of larger ones!). So there are bound to be future updates. Thank you everyone for all of your encouraging words along the way!
Weeding this area I left these in place thinking they were Nicotiana seedlings from last year’s plants. 
But now that they’re flowering it’s obvious that’s not the case. 
I’ve never seen a weed like this. Might they have hitch-hiked in on the chartreuse grass? 
Can anyone make an i.d.?
Finally, time to take some “after” pictures of the front garden…but there is a problem. You can’t even see many of the plants I selected! They are so small that they fade into the background. I can see them, but the camera can’t.
The two pictures above are looking north. This one was taken looking south. 
For fun I thought I would share our view from inside the house, looking south. 
Ok I stepped out on the sidewalk for this one, but I am still back to the house looking south. There's the Cotinus. 
And now looking north. 
So while the overall shots leave much to be desired the good news is that if you look close there are fabulous things to be seen! Things that will someday grow up and make a statement, I hope. Here are a few close-up vignettes throughout the front garden (I'll try to identify all the plants at the end).
And last up a few single plant spotlights for those of you curious about identification (some of these are rather like mug shots I’m afraid) if I miss something you're curious about leave a comment and I'll reply with the name. There are multiples of many of these, and others just a single specimen. Corokia cotoneaster, very cool plant…almost impossible to get a good photo of.
This little succulent was mixed in with the Sempervivum at the local grocery store nursery. I'm pretty sure its not hardy but for $1.99 I went ahead and bought it anyway. I've got no name on it. So cute!
Sempervivum arachnoideum 
Kniphofia caulescens 
Eryngium giganteum
Eryngium variifolium 
Yucca aloifolia 'Purpurea' 
Echium wildpretii...actually over-wintered in the ground! (frost cloth with and overturned terra cotta pot on the cold nights and days). 
Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’ 
Carmichaelia odorata 
Puya coerulea, I bought three of these at Dancing Oaks last summer, fully expecting them to not make it through the winter. The good news is that this one did! (the bad news is one died and the jury is still out on the third). 
Halimium x pauanum, planted too close to the Euphorbia but in another month when I cut back the Euphorbia blooms it will be able to shine! 
Hesperaloe parviflora 
Podocarpus alpinus 'Orangeade' 
Callistemon sieberi 
Yucca rostrata 
Eryngium agavifolium 
Pittosporum divaricatum 
Unknwn Cylindropuntia (a gift from the same neighbor who gave me the Opuntia paddles). 
Verbascum olympicum 
Genista aetnensis 
Hallelujah! The Eucomis 'Oakhurst' are all coming back! Maybe this year I'll get blooms again after they took last year off to rest and recover from the cold temps. 
Yucca 'Color Guard' 
Yucca 'Bright Star' 
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii 
Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths,' this is the one I'm hoping will grow in a more upright mannor. 
Unknown Sempervivum 
Sedum Chocolate Ball, I bought a couple of this sedum last summer and could find nothing about it's hardiness, turns out to be fine. At least in Zone 8. 
Unknown Yucca's dug from a my brother's yard in Spokane. 
Muehlenbeckia astonii 
Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red' not a bit of protection last winter. 
'Blue Pacific' Shore Juniper 
Ceonothus 'Pt Reyes' 
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Harmony,' this is the one growing at a jaunty wind-swept angle. 
Cotinus ‘Royal Purple'
So there you have it, the finished project in its infant stages. More pictures than you wanted to see right? I’ve already bought a couple of other things to plant, and when the plants start to grow a bit I’m sure I’ll add a few more rocks (yes maybe even a couple of larger ones!). So there are bound to be future updates. Thank you everyone for all of your encouraging words along the way!
