What's Blooming in my Zone 9 Garden in April

The "Senorita Rosalita" cleome was just planted in the beginning of March. I purchased several of these Proven Winners gallon plants at Home Depot. I am amazed at how fast they have taken off and am always, always pleased with any plant that I put in my garden that is a Proven Winners plant -- of course, assuming that it is placed in the proper growing conditions!

Love the windows, too ...

The way that the windows open on the building is not something we see very often here in the south. They definitely add the charm factor to the building in a big way.

The Cupola

The cupola on top of the garden building. Almost tried to save money and not get this and am so thrilled I did!

My Garden Building

Here is my garden building that sits in my backyard. It is right to the side of the new borders that are going in and I am working on the garden that will surround it. I purchased this building late last year from http://www.gardensheds.com/ and never regret the insane amount of money that I spent getting it built and getting it here from up north. It is awesome!

Here is looking back at the house.

Long Borders - View from the House

Here is the view that will be of the long borders from the house.

New Long Borders - The Beginning

This is the first stage of a pair of 50 foot borders that I have just begun. I hope, hope that they come out the way I am envisioning. I stole this idea from Gordon Hayward -- my favorite garden design author -- in his book "The Intimate Garden." His borders are in Vermont and I am trying to figure out good substitute plants for Zone 9 to get the same look. I had my landscape crew come in and dig out the sod and they added about two inches of good garden soil. Need more soil though. Will be adding a few river birch trees at the front of the left border and the back of the right. I am planning on filling the borders up with various ornamental grasses, shrubs, small trees, perennials, annuals and bulbs. Would love any suggestions! Eventually I will have a bench at the end of the borders and/or a gazebo that I will have my father build. Stay tuned! Vikki