Contrast Makes a Garden

Every now and then I like to look at a black and white photo of my garden to see where I need  more contrast.  As I look up toward the main arbor, I think the contrast here is  pretty good.

Here is the same picture in color:

I see a good amount of like/dark. I am fairly happy.

As I go just a few feet further down the path,  I notice the top left side needs contrast--it all looks the same color in black/white. I have never been happy with this area.  It does not get much sun and it's all rock so I can't dig down very deep.  So far I have been content to let any plant that survives the winter to remain here.

 Here is the color version:

I wonder if I could dig deep enough to get a Ninebark back there. Hmmmm.....DH can dig deeper than I can, but he HATES to do it...If I talk sweetly maybe, just maybe he will try. It's a terrible job. You have to  chip away at the rock. If you are lucky you will hit a decent-sized boulder and after chipping away around it, you will be able to remove it and the hole left will be big enough to put a gallon-size shrub in.   I am alwalys amazed that any plant will grow in such poor conditions.  I bet a nice patch of Lamb's Ear would work there. That silver color is great in so many areas.

This path is the new one we put in a few weeks ago.  I am so happy with the Cardinal flower (the red one). It has been blooming for nearly two months. What a great perennial. I hope it survives the winter.  Please ignore the hose. I was lugging it around in the ealry morning hours to get the new path plantings watered.

Here I stepped back to get the coleus in the shot.

I really like that splotchy coleus. It had no name when I bought it. There are so many great coleus varieties now.   If you have not grown them in the past few years, you really should try a few of the new ones. Who needs flowers when the foliage is that gorgeous?