Well, the good news is that despite looking like they wanted to die all summer, the begonias have blossomed in the colder, wetter weather this winter. Several of them are huge now, and they make me happy.
The bad news is, the other plants died almost immediately.
The second one was totally dead, without even any of the little green bits left. Matt believes that the reason these died so quickly was that the gravel was too close to the base, and that the rocks likely got really hot in the direct sunlight, and the poor plants just couldn't withstand all that heat.
The other day I got really motivated to pull all the weeds in our flower beds, and I pulled out the dead one, leaving a lovely dirt circle. I told Matt that I would like to replace the two dead/sad plants with some slightly larger bushes that would withstand both heat and cold a little better.
So he dug them out and made the holes a little deeper and wider, so hopefully our new plants won't die.
And we bought some new, pretty little holly bushes! Not only do they like direct sunlight and minimal watering (because let's face it, I kill plants, and it's better if I have to do literally nothing with them), but they are a little bit spiky and will hopefully deter Elliott from trying to eat them.
Matt planted them and mulched and basically did all the work. It looks much nicer now!
Matt said his parents used to have holly plants at their home before they moved, so I know they'll withstand the summer heat okay. And I really hope we can keep the begonias alive this summer, because it's already shaping up to be miserably hot.
Are you planning to do any landscaping for spring?
Looks great! I can't wait to have a house where we can plant a garden.
ReplyDeleteNice picks! Holly bushes are so pretty when they're blooming; and the whole "low maintenance" thing is fabulous. I kill plants too without trying (I pity the herb garden we're talking about starting in our bay window)..
ReplyDeleteI have zero talent with plant life, so congratulations on your beautiful begonias!
ReplyDeleteI love holly bushes!! Those look great! We've been inspecting our backyard for winter casualties - I think the only thing we lost was our basil. Gotta love temperate Houston winters!
ReplyDeleteHolly plants set a very 'natural' distinct look to ones garden. You don't want your garden to look to well and natural though by overrunning it with greenery, some rocks and stones would be nice too.
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I love holly bushes, what a great pick! The thing I hate most about living in a high rise is the lack of plants and flowers, so your yard looks amazing to me :)
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