More Perennial Garden-side/backyard

One of the things causing my not so hot veggie garden to flounder is all the attention I've been paying to my perennial borders. I have more borders than I can shake a stick at (or weed) and since everyone driving down our street can see them, I feel like I need to keep them up. Or at least attempt at keeping them up.

I'll give you a partial tour of some of my beds on the south side of my house and in my back yard. 



Here's my perennial bed that just absolutely bakes during the summer-it has a southern exposure and I struggle with plants here. I've found that most things do ok with enough water. Hollyhocks do well, daisies need extra water. It's a work in progress. It really needs to become a raised bed, maybe this fall I'll rip it all out, build a raised bed and put new plants in. Hmmmm.

This is by my shed; I like the hollyhocks growing by the fencing. The daisies had a good year; this photo shows them in their decline. The black-eyed Susans are gearing up for blossom and I'm waiting on my cleome to bloom.

And just because pink is my favorite flower color, here's a nice single pink hollyhock.

Here's the black-eyed Susans waiting to open. Check out the sedum behind them--it is HUGE!  It's very happy where it is and grows to about 4' wide and 30+" tall.

A view out my doorwall. Ok, this is Bryce's view out the doorwall, but it's all my annuals and nursery perennials all lined up down one side of my deck. I divide my perennials in spring and tuck the smaller ones in my deck planters so they can grow and get regular watering and then I move them to permanent homes in the Fall. Our deck is low enough to not require a rail around it, but I like keeping the kids from the edge using plants. Next spring I'm going to paint all of my pots so they match. I'm thinking black. We'll see.