Hello Rhododendron

When we said goodbye to our garden swing last weekend we were left with a couple of gaping holes and a wall falling away into the woods.  We didn’t waste any time whipping this area back into shape!

We filled up the holes and leveled the patio (again).  Then Mama and I used the posts leftover from the swing and rebuilt a section of the retaining wall that had caved off next to the old swing.  We backfilled that with some more dirt and covered everything over with mulch.  Then came time for planting!

We decided to get two rhododendrons since they do well in shade as well as a few more azaleas since they were on sale! :)  Here’s what the swing side looks like now:

You can see the new wall behind the pink rhododendrons.  Eventually they will get really tall and fill in the gap between the garden and the woods.  They’ll also screen some of the mess back there, too. :)

We also added another pink azalea by the stairs and two more on the swing side along the edge.

Here’s a look at the rest of the garden in its prime blooming season:

We are still trying to decide what to put on the actual brick patio… maybe a little bistro set? Firepit?  Or another garden bench?  I’ll keep you posted!  We’re also going to continue the liriope border around behind the patio and fill in with some more hostas, too!

Last and best… the before and after comparison!

Goodbye swing, hello rhododendron!