Summer Courtyard Plans

We have our summer courtyard plans ready and are sharing them with you today.

Despite all of the crazy, we have had the most glorious spring with good weather, the right amount of rain, and tons of perfectly blooming trees and shrubs.  With the extra time on my hands, I have had plenty of time to look through Pinterest and other websites to get some ideas for our courtyard.  So, consider this post the before photo of what’s going to happen in that space this summer.  We shared one of our plans in this post when we talked about growing vegetables.  Our summer plans in the courtyard are quite different from last year’s look.

Instead of planting tons of annuals lined up perfectly in front of the boxwoods, this year will be different.  I am going to opt for perennials and give it a wilder look.  Wilder might be a strong word to use, but I’m using it because it’s the best word I can come up with.

I will be using plants in the white, pink, and purple/blue families.  Interspersed among those plants will be some annuals to fill in the color when the perennials are “between blooms.”  I realize that a good perennial flower bed takes a few years to get established, and I am okay with that.  But also, I do know that with our new sprinkler system available to provide water when needed and with the soil mix I am adding to the existing soil, they will be living in a healthy environment for maximum growth.

In addition to the flowers, I will be planting some seeds in the soil as well.  I already have a designated area for herbs, but am going to grow some plants that won’t fit in the raised garden bed we bought.  For instance, I plan to grow some zucchini, yellow squash, and acorn squash.  I also bought some mini pumpkin seeds.  Had I known about the pandemic when I first bought some seed packets, I would have bought more packets.  Now, I am not eager to get to a store, and I hear that seeds are sold out.  I had to order onion sets online, which is crazy to me.

I have already planted the six David Austen Windermere roses that I ordered.  They are on the far end of the courtyard around the fountain.  The Winderemere is a white rose that is supposed to bloom constantly during the growing season.  It also is somewhat compact.

I made my first curbside pick-up of perennials on Friday.  I bought daisies, cone flowers, monarda, Russian sage, coreopsis, coral bells, and dianthus.   Once these are planted, I will figure out how much space is left and then go from there.

We have a dead boxwood and a dead miniature gingko tea, and they will be replaced by our landscaper.  Oh, and I will be spreading mulch soon.

Be sure to stay tuned for progress photos on our summer courtyard plans as the summer progresses.  I hope the courtyard will look as nice in person as it does in my head.

Take care.