More sedums

Sedums HAVE become much more popular, but I'm still amazed that they're not used more.  Our front door sedum bed (in the mountains) is wonderful, full of colors and textures, and changing with the seasons.

Here's what it's looking like currently.

sedums in early June

View through the front door

I like to encourage folks to think about the views from their windows and front doors, as they're planning their gardens and landscapes (in programs that I do in my work).

In spite of it being 'low-maintenance,' we weren't happy with just mulch and stone outside our front door in our mountain house. (No green welcome and nothing to check, enjoy, and tend....Hrrmph, is what we thought.)

front before raised beds (after planting of sedums)

So we started planting in earnest a year and a half ago.

I'm so enjoying the view this evening out the front door.  The sunny meadow border in front has taken its spring form, with early-flowering Penstemon digitalis (Husker's Red) is surrounded by Liatris, Eurybia (Aster), Penstemon, Helianthus, and Vernonia (Ironweed) vegetative shoots.

front door view in the mountains

It's so lovely to see the transformation.  It wasn't difficult to do, at all, and reflects a couple of years of growth.  And my gardening companion is wanting to show me his 'before dinner' efforts shortly (while I've been posting!)

This post from last spring provides a marker for the development of the sedum bed, as it's been developing (here it's in the lower part of our view through the door).  We enjoy this bed year-round; some of the species are flowering now, adding another aspect to the diversity of green foliage.

sedum bed from front path

And the developing garden in the mountains gives us happy weekend visits and summertime puttering.

An expanded sedum bed

Potted carnivorous plants

The small bog near our mountain house (with various pitcher plants and venus fly traps) didn't get enough sun to do well, so we converted it to sedums today.

The carnivorous plants were transplanted to a tall glazed ceramic pot and the peat was excavated and stockpiled for other projects.

My gardening companion reworked the bed, fishing out the plastic underlying the bog, and improved the drainage.

Expanded sedum bed

I transplanted lots of offshoots from the existing sedum bed (on the left) and with an addition of a large purple Madrona sedum in the center,  I'm hopeful that it will thrive.

Shades of green

It's been rewarding to enjoy the changes in the sedum bed in front of our small house in the mountains over the last year.

The delightful sequence of flowers has been an unforeseen addition to the colors and textures of their foliage, much of which is evergreen, too.

The jewel-like foliage colors contrasting with flowers of different colors and heights are quite remarkable.

Plant combinations

I never imagined a sedum bed would be such a nice addition to the front of our small mountain house.

Practically care-free, it was planted in a curved area defined by the previous owner's landscape (but left mulched). It glows with different colors and textures. We planted it in June, 2009, and it's sailed through a harsh winter and is looking great.

Sedum bed with raised stone vegetable beds beyond

Early in the morning, the view out the staircase window is pleasing. Exactly what you want from a window view.

And a happy combination of striped tulips (also from the previous owner) is combining nicely with a coppery Heuchera and vigorous Celadine poppy.

It's not a color combination that I'd normally plan, but with the vibrant colors of the cedar shake siding, it's striking.

(Click on the photos for a larger image.)