Indulge me here as we veer into some summer landscaping updates! My neighbor gave me some overflow from his yard, including mint that has started to take hold. Then, thanks to some help from my parents, I was finally able to accomplish a few things in the yard that have helped me be able to start the native conversion step-by-step. First, though, I continue with some pretty ornamental annuals. We planted a Chinese hibiscus to add some curb appeal (looks like the orange? peach? double-flowered kind) which will die back with the frost, but it is a stunner for now!

I also started a railing box with an assortment of “Superbena” colors and Salvia. They will probably all die back in the winter, but as you can see I had some fun with my first trip to a garden center; my thought was to have a red railing box to bring in the hummingbirds.

Then, my bosses gave me some of their backyard overflow! I put a deck planter down to hold black-and-blue and tropical Salvia (more hummingbird magnets, hopefully). They can be prolific perennials, so I’m hoping they’ll continue to flesh out the box. I have temporarily moved the anise hyssop into the swan planter you can see below!

They also gave me mountain mint and Spigelia marilandica (which I’m actually hoping to take home to plant along my parents’ stream bed). On the porch planter side of things, though, I found a handy tip and some perfect fit rods and wood pieces to shore up the railing planters.

My first real natives that were planted in ground went where the elephant grass was torn out. I now have a pair of summer sweet bushes in their place.

I also got a showy varietal of black-eyed Susan, both a native and a nod to my MD roots, for the porch.

Between all of these, I have been thrilled to watch the skippers (and other pollinators) parade in. It is pretty rewarding to watch them find the native flowers, and there will be much more to come…likely shovel by shovel!