Today is Memorial Day. By this day every year for 40 years, I have completed the most part of gardening and landscape maintenance. It is a time to relax and reflect on the past in addition to remembering those who gave their lives so we can all be free to choose. There will always be work to be done as I choose to make plans each day. I walk around to observe and prioritize tasks at daybreak most days in growing season. Along with my garden bag of tools, I carry my memories with me, pull a few weeds as I walk (which is highly therapeutic), and look to the future in my ever changing world. I pray in gratitude, ask for guidance, and praise God who is my Lord and Creator.
This post begins at the top of the hill where our half acre property meets the city street and borders our neighbor to the northeast. We are in the city limits and located on a cul-de-sac with two other neighbors visible from the front. This upper tier has native rock walls on two sides that are dry-set which we built within the first couple years. The front yard had the first of 22 truck loads of river bottom dirt brought in to terrace our lot over the next several years after we moved here in 1986.
Some of the first plants that still come back every year are peonies, lirope, sedum, clematis, English ivy, and juniper. Other successful plants in the above photo that come back every year include Autumn Joy sedum, several succulents, coneflowers, Russian sage, blue sage, irises, jonquils, daffodils, phlox, and Oak Leaf hydrangeas. This is a full sun area after we removed four large trees about 20 years ago. Lots of plant changes from a shaded front yard to full sun!
Clematis and Succulents
Clematis Blooms
Newly refurbished decorative rock and all property fences stained in 2025-6. The city water main is located here and we added a concrete access. Plants here include a short blue sage, several phlox which bloom early, and the Autumn Joy sedum which blooms in the fall. A variety of succulents are on the right side of the concrete access.
I named this turtle Pavel after my Czech cousin. I purchased him shortly after my cousin found me through this blog in 2015. We have been in contact regularly by email and twice in person ever since!
More of the refurbished decorative rock which leads to the bluebird house. There are hybrid oak leaf hydrangeas on either side that bloom at different times. Other plants include irises, daffodils, jonquils, peonies, and Russian sage here.
Pavel the Turtle oversees this garden area and greets me as I enter it on a lower right incline. The peonies have already bloomed and gone which seems early as I always expect them closer to Memorial Day. The sedum is in full yellow bloom now. The lirope at the base of the rock walls will have a blue spike flower in late summer. There is a large tall blue sage that is just starting to bloom and two purple Russian sages. A tall pink phlox will bloom soon at the wall high corner. There are also several coneflower plants and all will stay blooming summer and fall.
Russian Sage
Blooming yellow sedum grows well in the rock walls and as a ground cover in many areas. When the blooms fade, the plants are spindly and transplant well or can be mowed. They always come back.
This is the northeast corner of our property. The house number is easy for emergency medical assistance to see as well as anyone else trying to find us. It is a prominent display for our American flag. Below the flag are native prickly pear cactus which are just starting to bloom in the above photo on this Memorial Day. There are some iris and a variety of succulents in this area that my 100' water hose can barely reach. Along the street were planted six junipers about 30 years ago; only two are remaining and have lost all the lower branches. Just like the corner fence was built for privacy from all the neighbor activity across the street, so too were the junipers planted originally. Two new junipers were planted two years ago in the gap made by the ones removed. They are growing fast and will soon fill in enough so the remaining original ones can be removed when they die.
Prickly Pear Cactus are starting to bloom.
Prickly Pear Cactus in full bloom (last year's photo)
Violet Wood Sorel has now completed it's spring blooming
One of the few remaining fancy irises named SwingTown that I transplanted from a larger garden in the backyard that had gotten burned out last year destroying dozens.
This is the corner of the wall of Tier 2 where it meets Tier 1 under a white dogwood tree. I have a butterfly shaped paver in between ajuga and sedum ground cover. This is next to a tree stump we left for woodpeckers and I had decorated as a fairy tree until last year. There are some blackberry iris around the tree.
Also at this corner between tiers is where we buried our first cat who died in 1988. St. Francis watches over him. There is a couple of steps up at this corner so I pass by here often.
This is what remains of the old woodpecker tree at this corner between the tiers. In the hanging planter this year are purple and red petunias and calibrachoa.
Below the woodpecker tree area is the row of redbud trees we planted over 30 years ago. They still provide much shade on this northeast side of the property although the branches are up high. This species lives 30-40 years typically. Along this row in the front yard are coral bell plants.
Coral Bells have a wire cage around them to protect from deer and keep the flower stems off the ground.
There have been many pileated woodpecker families over the years and this female is pointing in the direction of her woodpecker tree. I enjoy watching a variety of birds especially in my front yard where I provide black oil sunflower seeds and suet. They are always welcome in My Gardens, My World.
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