Up Front

I tend to focus on my back garden as that's the sunny side and the side I look out at most often from inside the house. However, the street side is looking much more filled in this year too. My lavender hedge has flourished and is right against the sidewalk now, full of buds that will open in the next couple of weeks. Behind it, the red peonies I moved from the back garden have settled in nicely.

The house makes a good backdrop for a tree hydrangea just coming into bud and, on the far right, the lovely grey foliage and small pink flowers of Rosa glauca.

Because it's so shady, most of this corner relies on foliage for effect, so even small flowers have a significant impact.

On the other side of the front steps, also in considerable shade, the leaves of Heuchera 'Marmalade' outshine its small cream flowers. Their red stems complement the flowers of Dicentra 'Valentine' in the background.