October Rock Garden Report - 2024

 This will be the final rock garden report for 2024. I see that last years was posted about two weeks later, but I finished the third weed-through for the season, and wanted to take pictures while it's all cleaned up. You can compare the year's change in the link below.

This is the top section as seen from the deck. There's still a fair amount of contrasting textures and shades of color. And it's a lot fuller with plants than an year ago.

And the bottom section. Out at the far bottom edge it's still quite bare. But I created that whole section this summer. There is still a little bit to do near the bottom using more rocks and the rest of the logs Miki brought me. That soil is clay there, so I hope to add some compost.

Here are a few spaces that are still looking really nice. The blanket flower is still going gangbusters. This plant was eaten to the ground at the end of the year last year. Hooray for my fencing even if it is a total pain to deal with when I weed. The variety is 'Arizona Sun.'

This is one of the spaces I'm particularly happy with that I haven't shown you this year. It's also one of the two plants I'll have to bring inside for the winter. The light green one behind can stay, but the front plant, the pinkish-green one, is Sedum linare, 'Sea Urchin.' I really, really like the way it has filled in the space. Hopefully, I can split it and put it in two spaces next year.

Although the garden looks much fuller, a bunch of that is the result of my leaving various plants that are OK, but not what I ultimately want. This stayed light colored all season, varying from yellow-white to this pinkish phase, so I'll happily pull out some of the "filler" stuff and put more of this in.

I have showed you this a couple of times, but it's one of my favorite purchases from this year. It's a sedum called 'Coral Jade.' Obviously the flowers are gone, but the seed heads are interesting enough that I like it, and the leaves sort of change from purple to olive/khaki green as the season progresses.

And here is the reason I'm keeping a fair amount of the 'Bloody Cranesbill' geranium. This is the color of the leaves in the fall. OK, a lot of them are darker red. It looks nice with the variegated vinca. I never should have bought that stuff because it wanders everywhere. But I've learned to trim it back severely and keep it in certain spaces.

And here's a long shot from the other angle, out in the yard. Looks pretty good!

Other than the gardening, I spent the day working on databases. Things are clicking in my brain.

See Rock Garden Report October 2023