It was definitely a yard not a garden when we bought the house (above – May 2005). All that grass!May 2006. The grass is gone and the baby plants are in place. But look at the HUGE ALUMINUM mail box. I don’t think we could have found a bigger one if we tried.
Another one of those ideas that seemed like a good one at the time, the concrete planting circles (above and below). I desperately wanted to pour round concrete planters of various heights around the front garden. I still love the idea and think it would be fabulous! However the reality of budget stepped in and squashed my vision. In a misguided attempt to cheaply replicate the idea I purchased those round scalloped circles that come in 3 sections and buried the scalloped edge in the ground. The circles contained Canna lilies and Kniphofia. I grew to hate the circles.April 2007, the plants are getting bigger.
2008 would have been a lovely picture if I had one, just imagine it…And early this September 2009, on a sunny day, notice the planting circles are gone! I got rid of those earlier in the spring. Good riddance!
September 2009, on a cloudy day. I’ve removed the eye-sore buried terra-cotta pots (in the center of the above picture) and torn out the huge Miscanthus in the far right corner. 
Here’s a little teaser picture of what you don’t see above, and why I tore out the floppy misbehaving Miscanthus …Tetrapanax! I planted a new grouping in the corner of the garden with Tetrapanax, Yucca A. Purpurea from Tsugawa, and a borderline hardy purple Cordyline (which I promise not to cry about if it doesn’t make it through the winter). I can’t wait to have passers bye stopping to stare at the Tetrapanax next year!
It’s October and grass blooms are stealing the show in the danger garden, along with a few hold outs like the Sedum, Canna musifolia, Acanthus, Kniphofia and the everlasting gobstopper….Eucomis. 
The more I learn about this group of about 20 species of plants in the family Agavaceae the more I like them. I’ve currently got three Manfreda, coincidently all of them from Cistus nursery. My first was Manfreda maculosa x M. virginiana ‘Spot,” what else could you possibly call this plant besides Spot? It goes deciduous in the winter but reliably comes back in the spring and is slowly multiplying to form a clump.
While in Tucson, AZ, a couple years ago I ran across this book 
All three of my Manfreda share these characteristics, which were identified in the book: “the leaves are quite distinctive; they are fleshy, brittle and deeply guttered, and occur in a loose, often floppy rosette.” That is my only complaint; the leaves are so fleshy and brittle that they brake extremely easily. The leaves also lack a terminal spine and have smooth edges (sometimes tiny week teeth according to the book). All of mine are reported to be hardy to 10 degrees or less, but only Spot has been through a winter with me, he came back from last winter planted both in a pot and in the ground.
I managed to pass it up the first time I saw it but within a couple of months I realized my error and made the trip to Cistus to purchase. 
My third, 
The blooms were gorgeous, long lasting and the hummingbirds loved them. Several seed pods have formed and I looking forward to trying to grow a few more. Progress will be shared, if there is any.
Occasionally IKEA has a great plant deal that is too good to pass up. Last year around Christmas I bought two Bromeliads for under $10, and they always have succulents for bargain basement prices. 
I was intrigued when I saw this Coconut Palm or 
Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens, or Black Mondo Grass is one of my all-time favorite plants. Not only is it sleek, black, and virtually impossible to kill; it also spreads quickly and is extremely easy to divide. It’s happy (in my experience) in the sun or the shade, and it is evergreen (or should that be “everblack”?) What’s not to love?
I am not the most confident of plant dividers; in fact I avoid it if at all possible. Some of my Canna Lilies would love to be divided, but I am afraid I’ll do more damage than good, so I ignore them. Not so with Mondo grass. All I have to do is identify the “clump” that I want to divide.
I dig a bit (just a bit, the roots are pretty close to the surface) and pull the thick root that connects the clump to the mother plant out of the soil… 
Even if you only get a short root, like this, it will be fine. Tough as nails this plant.
I’ve been filling this area with divisions from other plants.
Have you ever been tempted to purchase a plant simply because of its name?
For me scent plays an extremely powerful role in triggering memories, certain scents can instantly transport me to another place and time. Scents in the garden especially…magnolias, lilacs, and the smell of fall leaves are all reminders places and times in my life.
Recently I was transported to my grandparent’s backyard via the smell of ripe concord grapes. A neighbor’s vine I 
My grandparents had the most amazing, old and twisted concord grapevine growing in their backyard. There was a lot of family history in that grapevine and I loved it. My grandma even shipped me a box full of grapes once or twice while I lived in Seattle, when I couldn’t make it home during grape season. Opening the lid of the box and letting the smell of the grapes fill my apartment was heaven. It took me back to family time in my grandparent’s backyard…just like walking past my neighbors vine did. Are you wondering if I ate one of the grapes? Three actually…
