The Garden Part 1

Currently the most impressive things in the garden are those that I can take absolutely no credit for:

Everything that's growing in gangbusters has been there for years and years, and I've only been here for months... That pink azalea and MAMMOTH bleeding heart are particularly impressive!

All I did to those was trim the azalea in the fall and manage not to kill them over the winter!
I did, however, successfully transplant that Peony last fall. It was previously back against the house between the cypress trees:

That's what it all looked like during our house inspection last June. Can you see the peony there shoved back between the cypress? No? Well, that's because there's an ENORMOUS phlox right in front of it! The darn thing was in the tail end of its bloom and I almost missed it because it was so hidden!
And then that darn phlox grew taller than me with those wonderful balls of blossoms, which was lovely, except for it's location. You see how it's right next to the path? Well the first time it rained all those enormous stems and flowers flopped right over across our doorstep!
So now:
the peony is up toward the front and center of the little peninsula, and that giant phlox is back keeping the cypress company (you can just see it on the left there.) They all seem to be growing quite happily!
The other major change I've made is to the shrubs. First, the cypress trees were taller than the house and blocking all of the light out of the dining room.


So I experimentally chopped the top third off of one of them:

Old picture, but you can see the height difference best here. It still hasn't quite decided if it's going to grow back in or not,

so I haven't decided what to do with the second one...

And then that short evergreen by the garage didn't survive the winter, so we dug that up.

Which was totally a reaction to it dying, but I think it actually looks much better without it! But then, I also CHOPPED the yews that were taking over the front of the house because I have a serious something against overgrown shrubs. There are so many nicer things to do with a space!
The yews before:

Look at them, they look like they're eating the front door!

And after a few days with me and my clippers:

MWA-HA-HA-HA! Okay, I know they look a little pathetic there, but they are already budding new green bits on their sadly exposed sticks, so they'll look better by the end of the summer! (Assuming I don't attack them again...)

But look at all that wonderful new space for gardening! What on earth will I fill that with? So many possibilities!!

Check back in a few days and I'll tell you what I've done with it!

In the meantime, though, the bulbs we planted around the mailbox have all come up really well!
The crocus:

The hyacinth (which you can see the remains of here) and the tulips:

In another month or so I should have ranunculous blossoming in there!