Plants in the ground...

Pants on the ground, pants on the ground... that song was stuck in my head alllll morning as I got to work in the garden. Cuz these poor plants have been living on the ground, not IN the ground where they belong, for the last week or so.
A girlfriend so kindly dropped them off for me last week after she decided she didn't need them.
Sweet.

The first to make their way into a new home was a half flat of Lobelia. We have a cool built-in planter on our front stoop, and I decided this would be a perfect place for the spreading habits of this plant. The box had some hens and chicks and ice plant already residing there, along with an ornamental grass we planted earlier this year.
Here is what it looked like before...

 This also shows the process of removing a ton of river rock, which isn't done yet, as well as emphasizing the lovely pink brick our house is accessorized with. Those day-lilies are blinging though huh??!!!

Anyway, here is the after shot, with all the Lobelia planted. Ignore its wilitiness, I had just watered them. They'll be perky and pretty by tomorrow.

Should provide a nice pop of color all summer long. Hopefully they are drought tolerant : )
I also snapped a shot of our front door, for those who want an up-close shot to visualize it when it dons a coat of yellow later this summer.

Eventually I'd like to trade that carriage light in for a nice, chunky pendant, but we haven't found one that is perfect yet. Sigh.

On to the backyard with more free plants. We also got five strawberry plants, which I planted in our 'amphitheather garden'. We have a pretty large yard, so each zone has a special name so the hub and I can figure out what the other is referring to.

Here is how I laid out the berries before I planted them. I think hope they will do well here, as long as Sammy and his pals don't trample them. We have methods to protect them.

See how it is higher and curves around to part of the patio? 'Amphitheater garden!'

This is full of bulbs and we have amazing tulips, crocus's and daffodils all spring. Now not so much, it needs filler.

D.U.N. done!! They look great, and I think with the southern sunshine that hits this garden all day, they should flourish!! There is already a lovely ripe berry ready to be eaten!

Now I am kind of itching to get a couple kale and spinach plants, and maybe a pepper or two and plant them in the 'amphitheater garden' as well. Hmm...

The last free plant I received is a Vinca, or Blue Periwinkle. I was a bit skeptical about putting this baby in the ground. Curious about the flowers it would have, I did some searching around the web and found that it is a very invasive plant!! Yikesies... but I must admit that Central Oregon is not the most forgiving climate. I decided I'd give her a go, and if it starts to get wild we will just pull it out.

I chose a spot in the back of our yard, where there aren't really any plants right now. That way if the Vinca goes wild, the only immediate threat is a very mature Ponderosa Pine. Plus, the dog loves playing back in this area, so if it even survives the summer that will be an achievement.

I'm hoping as it spreads, it will wind through the lava rocks and look pretty. We shall see.
And thats the story of how some free plants went from on the ground, to in the ground. 

Since we're already in the backyard, I'll show off some other plants that are living : )

I planted this Euphorbia about a month ago. It is thriving. I love it. You can see a dwarf Blue Fescue in the background, which is also loving its home in our backyard.

 Ice plant is EVERYWHERE in our rock gardens, and its awesome. This lil clump just appeared in this hole. BTW, we live on an ancient volcanic flow, which makes planting/growing anything very difficult.

This particular clump of Ice plant is literally dripping down the side of the 'volcano' aka pile of lava rock in our backyard. Today was overcast, so the flowers aren't all open. This plant is neon on a full sun afternoon.

Here is my thriving fescue up close. It has the most incredible hue to it, silvery-blue. I lalaLOVE it!!!


This is the most special place in our yard.

I know it doesn't look like much, but this is Cruzie's spirit garden.
Say What?!
Cruz was our rescue pup that passed away from an extremely aggressive form of cancer this February. I will save pics and more details on him for another post. We had him cremated of course, and his favorite place to lay in our yard had been under this Juniper tree. So we bought some wildflower seeds and mixed them, along with some of his ashes, into the soil under this tree.
Now the flowers are beginning to bloom. : ) It is so rewarding and calming to visit the garden every day, check on the new growth, and see his energy and life continue to thrive through beautiful wildflowers. It has also piqued the Hub's interest in gardening. Win-Win situation as far as I see it.

And thats the story of my free plants, and an abbreviated tour of our backyard. So whats the deal with Vinca? Anyone have any tips or pointers? How about the 'amphitheater garden'? Should I plant more edibles?

Linking up to:
Centsational Girl's Fair Weather Forum