Here is an update on my quarantine garden from a previous post. My garden is beginning to take shape and is becoming more of a haven. It has helped me feel productive as I try to create something good amidst the chaos and negativity that surrounds us right now. 
I started with a blank slate and slowly have begun adding plants one area at a time. The front garden is where I have been mostly working. It is a shady spot so I have been gathering plants that would be suitable to those conditions. The challenge is to find plants that flower. First I had some candytuft bloom along the walkway. Then a blue clematis gave me a pop of color on the trellis that I placed against the house. Next, I found a gorgeous red hydrangea which I placed in a pot next to the trellis. I have been reading that to keep the hydrangea from turning back to blue, it needs iron. This seems like a bit of a challenge to me. I figured the best way for now to keep its color I will keep it in a pot. Hopefully, the acidity in the soil that we have where we live won’t be able to leak into the roots. 
I began planting perennial flowers early in the spring in another area of the yard. I have since determined that this area will not get near the amount of sunshine that they would need in order to thrive. The opposite side of the yard beside the garage is my best chance for sunshine. I will begin moving the plants a little at a time to the more sunny spot. This area began as my leftover patch for plants that I didn’t know what to do with so looks like a hodgepodge right now. 
I heard on a P. Allen Smith video that lavender likes to grow in cinderblocks. There was a pile left from the construction crew so I thought I would try out this theory myself. Also, along the border of the property, I placed a row of stone corners that were leftover. It took several attempts to move the pile of rubble from the front beds to this new location. It looks interesting there now with a diy border that I fashioned myself . There are more corner pieces under the house but I will have to wait for another go round as I developed a bit of “tennis elbow” from carrying the first batch.
Other inspiring gardening videos can be found on Youtube’s popular Garden Answer. On a tour through her parents’ garden, Laura mentioned that her mother has some coral shrub roses. I found a beautiful variety last week at our local plant nursery. I have begun planting them along the front of our “sunny” border. I added some gorgeous blue agapanthas and plan to add some blue salvia or veronicas as the coral and blue color combination looks stunning together.
I am encouraged today by the words of a song by Bethel music based on Psalm 31:24 “Take courage my heart, be steadfast my soul, He’s in the waiting.”
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