Peony Love

The Better Homes and Gardens centerfold

Back when it was a little colder and darker I found myself daydreaming over Better Homes and Gardens.  Again.  And thumbing through pictures of gorgeous peonies.  I think this set was in the March 2011 issue.  And my mind wandered to my some-day aspiration of having a cute little home with a front fence with flowers growing around it.  *Sigh* But in the mean time, I can coerce Bill into letting me play in his front yard!  (I tried telling him that the pinks and purples in the photos were actually reds and blues.  I'm not sure he believed me, but he played along well)

The BH&G sketch-up

BH&G provided the pictures and the little sketch-up of species and layout, so all I had to do was convince my man-friend and purchase the plants.  Again discussing if we really needed pink flowers in the front (YES!) 

My sketch-up.  Not as pretty as BH&G

The Species!!!

I measured up the front 40, sketched it all up (not pretty) and put in the order at the church preschool plant sale.  Weeded out a few of the species BH&G suggested and went with these four!

• Pink Sarah Bernhardt Peonies
• White Duchess Peonies
• Silvery Lambs Ears
• Catmint (but when it arrived the tag said "catnip".  Is that the same thing?)

Front row with erosion barrier

Before getting too far digging up the grass, Bill was smart enough to get a barrier to stick along the bottom of the fence.  With the monsoons Tennessee spring weather we've been having lately, he didn't want me tearing apart the front yard, only to have a downpour wash away the good soil through the fence and down the sidewalk.  Tools used: shovel and (*surprise*) rock hammer.

First peony in the ground.  And Bill gets to bugging me pulling out the measuring tape to space the peonies

 Hey hey!  A good shovel and a little bit of time and the peonies went in just fine!

Note the rock hammer

Half done and the peonies are set

Bill had the shovel and after we marked off the spacing, Bill dug the holes with me following behind him filling them with peonies.  I wore gloves because among the buried treasures we found in the front yard were a ballpoint pen, chunks of broken glass, and strange tree roots (no tree).

He-Man Bill and his victim trowel

 The second row - alternating lamb's ear and catmint/nip - required smaller holes.  Bill "The Hulk" was too tough to handle the little trowel needed for the finite digging and promptly broke the trowel.  I unfortunately didn't have the camera handy during the moment when he turned green and his muscles ripped apart his shirt.  Oops.  Well regardless, everything got in the ground.

Here's the current and projected outcome of our front border ;)

Everything In!

Hopeful outcome: flowers and butterflies
and maybe baby bunnies 

*Note: post rain storm, there wasn't a ton of apparent soil loss.  Hopefully the barrier worked!  We may have to throw some mulch on top until the plants bulk up, but maybe not... we'll see.