The west side of my garden, aside from a few holes, is looking more or less stuffed by late May. I'm always amazed at how impossible it is for me to believe that things I plant will ever grow to full size.
In particular, my oak leaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) and spirea 'Magic Carpet' shrubs have quadrupled in size. Both were planted quite small and now command sizable chunks of my tiny garden. I'm going to indulge in a little nostalgia and show you photos of my babies when they were ltitle.
In spring of 2004, I planted the spirea on the east side all by itself, before realizing a year later that it would work better in its current position as the springtime star of the west side. (Don't ask me what I was doing with that ugly cedar mulch).
For something like $1.50, I won the oak leaf hydrangea on an Ebay auction in fall 2004. I got what I paid for – it was a leafless stick with a tiny bit of roots. After the winter, I was surprised when it leafed out, appearing as you see here on the left in 2005 and then in 2006 on the right. I never dreamed it would be this large in 2008.
Here is the west side in June of 2004. Since then I have purchased, randomly acquired, rearranged, killed and banished so many different plants! Seeing progress through these photos helps me to be patient with things I am planting now.
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