Delicate Beauties

Look at what I have growing along the edge of my yard. Lady Slippers, a wild orchid of the area. They are endangered and very particular about where they grow and who can pollinate them... Woodland beauties...

Today I paid off my student loan! I went back about 5 years ago to aquire some much needed computer skills at a two year technical school. Getting rid of that payment is more than a monkey off of my back, its an orangutan!

To celebrate I took myself off to the garden center to buy a couple of things I have had my eye on. This bed has a lovely little japanese maple with varigated peachy orange leaves and a graceful arching habit. I decided to put in a small juniper (blue gray with a compact spikey habit) and a spirea (low mounding in a brilliant yellow color) as well as some low growing sedums, thymes and a lavender all in variations of those three colors. Then I transplanted a hosta in too. Oh and I put in a few moss roses to brighten it up a bit (hopefully, when they bloom)

It has that just planted look right now but I have high hopes for it. Everything I put in is tough as nails and has a strong foliage color. I tend to focus more on the leaves than blooms since mostly thats what you see. I have one very flowery gardening friend who accuses me of buying things that already look dead, ha!