Back to the garden

So we went back to Gethsemane today and bought the 'Coppertina' ninebark. We were both relieved to see that it was more compact than we remembered and fit easily into the trunk of the taxi alongside the cotoneaster we bought for good measure. At least now we have a couple of living shrubs on our side rather than merely a macabre display of bleached corpses. And we've already matched our expenditures for last year, without even filling the hanging baskets or replacing the leggy-ass geraniums we sheltered inside!

When it comes to the Battle of the Parkway, we may have found a new ally, namely the dwarf crested iris. They're supposed to be shade-loving and slow-spreading, so we're trying a couple out near the base of the maple trees. While planting them, I was thrilled to discover that one of the sweet woodruff plants I put in last year around this time made it after all. Moreover, it seems to be thriving, so now I feel better about planting a new passle of seedlings in the same area.

There are also some lilies-of-the-valley of mysterious provenance blooming there. monshu suggested trying them in the beds at the bases of the maples as well, and I think I will as soon as they stop blooming. Right now, my philosophy is to keep flinging candidates into the shade garden, see what takes, and then go back and buy more. With that in mind, we also picked up some periwinkle for the dimmest corner of the front lawn.