Yesterday I worked on creating a border bed on the left side of the house (looking at the front). Chives were placed around the rose bush to keep the Japanese Beetles away. Petunias were planted in a row with Johnny-Jump-Ups in front of them. I spaced the Petunias closer than I probably should, thinking that if they become too crowded, I can always pull some out. In case their growth is stunted because they were planted too late, then even if they are stunted by half, they should fill in nicely.

I really like the Johnny-Jump-Ups and the Pansy Plentifall. They are very cheerful looking.

The Pansies do not seem to be fragrant though, so I'm a little disappointed about that. Still, they are pretty and I would definitely plant them again though. I planted them in both sun and part shade and they seem to be doing well in both, although I think the ones in part shade seem a bit stronger.

Although I've planted Johnny-Jump-Ups in the back where there is part shade, they seem to take to the sun better and have more flowers. I was worried that the sun might cause them to wilt, but it seems that with regular watering, they are fine. Hmm, the Johnny-Jump-Ups are supposed to be fragrant too, but if they are, I can hardly smell anything. Still, I would plant these again too. They also look pretty when weaved into a braid.

For next year, use May as the last frost date. All of the cool weather plants were planted too late this year, it seems since the weather is already beginning to become very warm. I also lost some plants since they sat around too long before being planted and were too overgrown for their tiny peat pots. The Chinese Lanterns developed a spider mite problem and the Heliotrope's edges have browned a bit (from overcrowded conditions with unseparated peat trays?)I probably lost half of the strawberries I planted, if not more.

Oh, and sometime last week I planted a hosta called Fragrant Bouquet.

Tomorrow, I'm planning to weed the steps to the street and also plant the 2 or 3 Chinese Lanterns I have left. Not quite sure where to put them though. I was planning to plant them to the left and right of the stairs, but I think maybe catmint might look prettier there.

There is so much landscaping work to do with this property that it's overwhelming! Towards the back of the house, there are weeds which need to be controlled so that poor C isn't always cutting them down. We are planning on using newspaper to suppress the weeds and mulch to cover it up. It would give the back a more woodland feel, hopefully. The lilacs and holly also need pruning and I need to find out what sex the holly is, so that I can find a mate to make berries.