Curb Appeal

When choosing plants, patience is a virtue. After moving a Japanese andromeda (Pieris spp.) that was getting too much sun, I waited until I found the perfect plant to fill this empty spot beneath a window. This pine is super soft, won't get much larger than it is now, and fits right in with its neighbors--yew on the left, and on the right Japanes maple, Dianthus, various Dahlias, and Sedum.
This grasshopper decided to hang out after I freaked when it landed on my leg and flailed it off.

The Dahlias, once deemed too perfect looking, have grown in nicely. Recent additions are a red Hibiscus and sea oats.

Since I am beginning to think more about long-term garden design, I want to reinstate the balance of the previous landscape plan (which was nice, despite my not liking some of those plant choices). The pine might be the perfect choice to replace the false cypress (the chartreuse shrub in the pic below), which I am slowly removing from the left side of the house. (It was too far gone on the right side when we moved in and was removed, starting off my garden design education.)

This will be a project for spring!