Spring is officially here

Yesterday we went to Bantings Nursery, which is in my opinion the best nursery around. We had to completely replant our front beds because the unseasonably cold winter killed everything in them. Two weeks ago we pulled everything out of the beds, so we were in need of a LOT of plants. We arrived at the nursery at 9:00am and by 10:30 we were headed home with two car loads of plants. Since we were starting from scratch we were able to really design the beds how we wanted them.

This was the before:

Under the window on the left was a Hibiscus, which had palms on both sides of it. There were palms also on both sides of the stairs and another one in the right bed. I hate palms. I don't know why, but I just hate them. The hibiscus was really pretty but it was growing out of control. In the summer it grew so high that it totally covered the window. I loved that it flowered almost year round, but I hated it always looked unkempt. I would cut it back all the time, but it was growing like crazy. We pulled everything out and started over.

We brought my mother with us to the nursery because she is a total green thumb. We decided to anchor the yard with two Tom Knudsen Camellias. These will grow taller and wider, and help add a great punch of color to the yard. I bought them in red so they'd match the front door.

Next we added in some Boxwoods. These are smaller bushed that are often used to create manicured hedges. We will shape our next year once they've had some time to grow. They should end up about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. There are a total of 10 of them in the beds.

Then we added some white Gardenias in front of the boxwoods. I wanted something that was really fragrant which is why we picked the Gardenias. I'm really excited for them to start blooming.  

In front of the Gardenias we added Calla Lilies. We really just added these because they're pretty and were already in bloom.

Then, we added an orange bird of paradise. Its just a touch of something different and a little less traditional.

And finally, we planted some red and white impatients. My center bed gets replanted every season & the impatients were just about to bloom so I thought they might make it through mid summer.

The finished product:

view from the front.

Left bed.

Right bed.

I think we got a great foundation for both of the beds picked out and planted. Next year, I can add some annuals to the front of the Gardenias. But for now, I am just excited to see everything grow and bloom.