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The driveway bed

 

The driveway bed is a narrow strip between the driveway and the property line (with the neighbor's privet hedge) where grass wouldn't grow - so we turned it into a garden. You can imagine it has its challenges: it gets roasted by the sun hitting the macadam in summer, gets snow piled high on top in winter, and isn't among the first garden areas in line to receive water in periods of drought. So it's survival of the fittest, and there are some tough plants in there. Many other used to be in there, and met with an untimely demise.

It's not the tidiest garden area, but in spring and summer it's a cheerful strip of color. Since it's such an elongated area, you'll have to scroll your screen to see the full image below. The map was made a couple years ago, and is in sore need of updating (see the stories of demise above). Soon, hopefully...

An even narrower strip of garden separates the other side of the driveway from the front yard. The strip is backed by a low-growing hedge of Korean boxwood - which is never quite sure it appreciates being selected for this task - and features a rag-tag assembly of unrelated plants: some species tulips and autumn-flowering colchicums, a few unhappy cranesbill geraniums, and self-seeded blue flax and blazing stars. Another area that needs help...

A partial list of the plants growing in the driveway bed

Achillea 'Schwellenberg' (yarrow)
Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl'
Achillea sibirica var. camtschatica 'Love Parade' (yarrow)
Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegata' (bishop's weed; goutweed; snow on the mountain)
Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle)
Allium aflatunense (Persian onion)
Allium cristophii (star of Persia)
Amaranthus hybrids (amaranth)
Antennaria dioica (pussy-toes)
Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine)
Aubrieta deltoidea (purple rock cress)
Baptisia australis (false indigo)
Buxus sinica var. insularis (Korean boxwood)
Campanula latifolia var. macrantha (Bellflower)
Cercis siliquastrum (Judas tree)
Chrysanthemum hybrids (garden mum)
Colchicum 'Waterlily' and 'Giant' (autumn crocus)
Coreopsis tinctoria (plains coreopsis; calliopsis)
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' (laceleaf coreopsis)
Dianthus deltoides (maiden pink)
Dicranostigma franchetianum 'Aristocrat'
Digitalis purpurea 'Primrose Carousel' (foxglove)
Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
Eryngium tripartitum (sea holly)
Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)
Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' (chameleon spurge)
Fibigia clypeata (Roman shields)
Fragaria 'Lipstick' (Alpine strawberry)
Gaura lindheimeri
Geranium platyanthum (cranesbill)
Geranium pratense (meadow cranesbill)
Geranium sanguineum (cranesbill)
Gladiolus
Hemerocallis hybrids (daylily)
Hibiscus moscheutos (hardy hibiscus; swamp rose-mallow)
Hyacinthus (hyacinth)
Hypericum sp. (shrubby St. John's wort)
Hyssopus officinalis (hyssop)
Indigofera amblyantha (pinkflower indigo)
Iris sibirica (Siberian iris)
Layia calliglossa (tidy tips)
Leucanthemum maximum (Shasta daisy)
Levisticum officinale (lovage)
Liatris spicata (blazing star; gayfeather)
Lilium (lilies (various species and hybrids))
Linum lewisii (blue flax)
Lychnis coronaria 'Alba' (White rose campion)
Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm)
Mentha spicata (chocolate mint)
Muscari armeniacum (grape hyacinth)
Nepeta racemosa (catmint)
Oenothera caespitosa (tufted evening primrose)
Oenothera speciosa 'Rosea' (Mexican evening primrose)
Pennisetum orientale 'Karly Rose' (fountain grass)
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' (foxglove beardtongue)
Penstemon x mexicali 'Red Rocks' (beardtongue)
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage)
Phlox subulata (creeping phlox)
Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
Pinus densiflora (Japanese red pine; tanyosho pine)
Platycodon grandiflorus (balloonflower)
Potentilla nepalensis (cinquefoil)
Rabdosia longituba (trumpet spurflower)
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' (black-eyed susan)
Salvia vanhouttei
Sedum aizoon (stonecrop)
Sedum kamtschaticum (Kamtschat sedum)
Sedum spectabile (showy stonecrop)
Sedum spurium 'Dragon's blood' (stonecrop)
Sidalcea malviflora 'Party Girl' (prairie mallow)
Solidago virgaurea 'Peter Pan' (goldenrod)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Stachys byzantina (lamb's ear)
Teucrium chamaedrys (prostrate and upright germander)
Teucrium hyrcanicum (Caucasian germander)
Tulipa whittallii (tulip)
Verbascum chaixii 'Album' (nettle-leaved mullein)
Veronica austriaca (Hungarian speedwell)
Veronica longifolia 'Blauriesin' (long-leaf speedwell)

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Last modified: March 27, 2004
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