A Garden Update

Welcome to the 286th Metamorphosis Monday!

We’ve been having spring-like weather all this week, crazy weather for the middle of July. The cooler temps have been a nice respite from the heat. The garden I put in around the mailbox several months ago has been thriving in the milder temps.

Landscape Around Mailbox For Curb Appeal

 

I thought for this Met Monday I’d share a how’s it changed over the past six weeks. Here’s how it looked right after the flowers were planted.

BEFORE

Mailbox Garden After Mulching

 

Remember the tropical Curcuma I decided to try in this spot? See it there on the left?

Garden for the Mailbox

 

AFTER

Today the garden looks like this.

Summer Garden for a Mailbox

 

The Vinca has taken off, so glad several folks recommended it for this area. It has been a long time since I used Vinca in an annual bed and it is loving the full sun. It’s a great annual for summer if you have a flower bed that gets full sun.

Garden for the Mailbox (1)

 

The Stella ‘De Oro daylilies are starting to play out a bit after blooming their heart out all spring.

Mailbox Garden

 

The Dharuma hydrangea is doing well too, especially considering I don’t hand water this garden as often as I probably should.

Dharuma Hydragea for a Mailbox Garden

 

The Curcuma is doing very well, especially since I didn’t realize it was a “part-sun” plant when I purchased it. It’s holding its own in this “full-sun” garden.

Curcuma and Vinca

 

I noticed some of the lower/older leaves are kind of curling, but overall it’s doing well and is blooming like crazy!

Curcuma Plant

 

I think I’ll dig it up this fall/winter before freezing temps arrive to see if I can overwinter it in a container. I would love to use it again in the garden next spring/summer and I’m pretty sure it would never survive our winter outdoors. Anyone else growing a Curcuma in the garden? How about a Dharuma hydrangea?

Curcuma Plant and Vinca for a Mailbox Garden

 

Looking forward to all the great Before and Afters for this Metamorphosis Monday!

Met Monday

If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday, you will need to link up the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz.

In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

Please observe these few rules:

Only link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, DIY related.

Do not link up if you’re doing so to promote a website or product.

Do not link up a post that was just linked last week since a lot of readers will have already seen that post.


*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



 Never miss a Between Naps on the Porch post! 

*Subscribe to have updates delivered to your Inbox. 



Comments

  1. Wow ~ everything has taken off in this garden plot and it looks so pretty! Thank you for hosting.

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

  2. Thanks so much for the party !
    Your garden looks lovely – it’s been so hot here in Montreal, there’s days I have to water twice!
    Have a great week
    Hugs,
    Suzan

  3. Wow, your front garden bed is doing great! I don’t have that variety of hydrangea in full sun tho, so I will be no help to you on that. Mine is in a spot where it gets afternoon shade. I am loving that curcuma in bloom…its stunning!!

  4. Thanks so much for the party!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

  5. Hi Susan. This has been one of the craziest summer’s ever, in terms of the weather. I can’t remember us ever having so many cool days. And you’re right – it has been a nice respite from the heat! Thank you for hosting and I hope you have a great week!

  6. Looks like your plants are all doing great! I don’t know about either of those plants you talked about so I’m no help but their pretty!

  7. Thanks for hosting your party for us today! I really like how you have the rotating system of displaying posts (even though I was earlier today than usual). I love all the flowers at your mailbox…it is fun to see how they have “memtamorphed” from the Spring until now.

  8. Your mailbox garden is so pretty Susan, my flowers are struggling this year, and I can’t get my hydrangeas to bloom, so sad!! Thanks for the Monday fun~

  9. It looks so pretty, Susan. I love all of the color around your mailbox. Thank you for hosting the linkup. laurie

  10. I’m glad to see how your garden has grown and how well your Dharuma hydrangea is doing! I planted a Limelight hydrangea this spring that is a panicle variety too and can take more summer heat 🙂

  11. Your mailbox garden looks so pretty, Susan! Glad you’re getting some cooler temps. Thanks for hosting your party.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia 😉

  12. Everything is filling in beautifully! Thank you for hosting.

  13. I love seeing changes in the garden, and it looks as though your newly planted mailbox plot looks happy. We just returned from vacation and the garden looked like a jungle – over 3″ of rain while we were gone. Thanks for hosting the party, and have a great week.
    Rita

  14. What a lovely garden! We too have experienced spring like conditions,most of our summer has been that way 🙁
    Thanks so much for hosting!

  15. Love how you decorated around your mailbox…beautiful! Thanks for hosting…

  16. Isn’t just amazing how much things can grow in 6 weeks? I’m sure everybody on your street appreciate seeing the pretty flowers, too! Thanks for hosting and we linked up a garden update, too!

    • Thanks, Jane! Remember our discussion of mulch? I still prefer pine straw as my first choice…the bark I’m using just always looks messy. Love the look of the pinestraw better, just wish it lasted longer.

  17. Good morning Susan!
    We’re having the mildest Summer (so far) as well . . . and loving it!
    Thanks so much for hosting another great party.
    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Suzanne

  18. Your garden looks very happy. I laugh sometime while reading your blog. I was wondering if you could dig up your part-shade plant and then as I scrolled down it was like you read my thoughts. I can’t tell you how many times that has happened.

    California is yearning for east coast rain.

  19. I ordered a dharuma hydrangea after seeing yours. It has done very well, of course we have been getting more rain than we usually do so that didn’t hurt. I had murdered some regular type hydrangeas, so was looking for something a little more tolerant of the brutal sun we get here in lower Alabama. It’s helping to cover up some lovely tree stumps provided by the power company when they cut several of my pine trees down. woohoo!

    • Denise, hope it continues to do great! I do like it so far. I wouldn’t mind if it were a bit taller but guess it’s good that it has stayed low so I can see to pull out of the driveway.

  20. The planting at the mailbox has really flourished. I have to ask, since I’m in southeast Georgia closer to the coast, have you watering system, or did ya need to water daily? We have had very dry weather as of late way down south. It has been a constant tote of the watering can to keep things going here. Thank you for hosting MET Monday, we love the sharing.

  21. I went back to take a second look at the plants and I missed the part stating that you hand water, so glad I went back to re-read and look at your wonderful photo’s again. I too hand water. I wonder how many in bloggyland hand water their beautiful gardens???….Thank you for hosting this fun partay MET Monday. I love the sharing !!!

    • Jo May, I have a sprinkler system but don’t run it very often, so I do like to handwater after I first plant everything. We’ve had some nice rain this year which has helped. Thanks!

  22. Isn’t it fun to garden? My lilies have been so beautiful and I have a flower bed at the end of my driveway that is so full and lush this year you can’t see the big rock we have with our name on it, but that’s OK. I just tell people that behind all the flowers is a rock with our name on it and we are the only farm for over a mile. The cat just walked across the keyboard, so he must want attention. Back to heat for a few days, so I got up early and worked in the garden and set the sprinkler.

    Have a great week.

  23. Your garden looks fabulous, Susan! I am loving all the soaking rain we are having! My yard may finally recover from this winter! Have a great week!…hugs…Debie

  24. Your garden is lovely! Thank you for hosting, Susan!

  25. Thanks for hosting! We are traveling for 5 weeks. We are in AZ with family right now…spring like weather sounds lovely. It is not spring like weather here. 😉
    KC

    • Oh, how fun! I’ve never been to AZ but would love to go there! KC, check my post tomorrow. I’ve been traveling the last few days. See if you can tell where I’ve been from tomorrow’s post. 🙂

      • Unless you love the heat, come in the fall, winter or spring. I grew up in AZ. It is really nice to be with family and enjoy the pool…a lot!
        I will check out your post and see if I can tell where you’ve been. If it takes me a day or two, it is just harder to keep up with things on the road…but I want to see if I can figure it out.
        KC

  26. How could I have been so stupid? I never even thought about planting a garden at the base of my SC mailbox. All I know 2 do is spray for the Palmetto bugs so they don’t scare me witless when I open the door! Your deer must take a hiatus during the summer and come over to my neck of the woods ’cause I could NEVAH plant any variety of hydrangea. It’d be like Thanksgiving dinner to them! Lantana and vinca have the best chance of surviving their lips! I’d love to plant some Stella’s 2 but I don’t know how long they’d last. Absolutely no geraniums. They’re gone b4 the next AM! But your mailbox garden is just so refreshing and attractive. I’m gonna try with something…might be plastic but I’m definitely going to refresh my curbside!

    • I’ve only seen deer around here a couple of times…pretty rare here…too much traffic and people. That would def make gardening a challenge, I know. Susan, google for “deer resistant plants.” Hope there’s something you can plant. That would be frustrating!

  27. Hey Susan! It came out looking really pretty and lush! My husband insists we plant vinca every year! Only he has some strange ideas as to where to plant them. I have to gently persuade him to proper placement but he always has his own ideas on that! Ha ha! This year though he had full reign on our pots and he mixed them in various colors with other plants and they look good.

    Also I would like to state that I deserve the flunkie award on linking up! Not just with you but most everywhere I linkup. I understand what I am doing but I seem to have the most trouble with it. And yes I know I have TWO Met Mondays at the end of my post! But hey I got it on there! You girls should start taking bets on me with each linkup, can she successfully linkup or will there be hiccups?! Just like at the races!

  28. Susan,
    Loved seeing how full your garden make~over is becoming, dear friend!!!
    I have never seen a curcuma plant before, but I’ll be l00king for on next planting Season!
    Thanks for hosting Metamorphosis Monday each week!
    Fondly,
    Pat

    • Thanks, Pat! I found that one at Home Depot this year. They prefer part sun, not full. I hope it survives August. I may have to dig it up if it starts looking bad. I think the flowers would be more pink and less white if it were in a bit more shade.

  29. Your plants look great, Susan! We got some cooler weather last week too and my plants literally breathed a sigh of relief! lol It was so nice meeting you and having dinner with you at Haven — it is so fun putting real people and faces with the blogs I love! Have a great week, and as always, thanks for the link-up. 🙂
    Julie

  30. Your mailbox garden has turned beautifully this summer! Thanks, as always, for hosting. Jane

  31. Thanks for the party and for sharing those pretty flowers, Susan! Have a wonderful week. 🙂

  32. Hi Susan,
    Flowers are fragrant and fabulous, but they are also great fillers, and your beautiful array of lovelies have added such charm to your surroundings! Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful week!

    Poppy

  33. Susan, we had a few perfect days here but then got lots of rain and now it is back to unbearably hot and humid.
    Loving your growing garden! Isn’t it neat to watch all the changes?
    Thank you for hosting, always fun to share a Before and After at this awesome linky party.
    Hugs.

  34. Looks beautiful Susan. Good weather sure can make our plants happy or sad and your plants look very happy!
    Kathysue

  35. We used to consider Vinca weeds, and couldnt get rid of them to save our lives. Now that I want them, they all die. I’m not much of a gardener.

  36. Your mailbox garden looks lovely!
    Thanks for hosting the party:)

  37. That is a gorgeous group of plants around your mailbox…especially the hydrangea…my favorite!
    I have also been enjoying your BNOTP library series. I loved the last book on English interiors and am hoping to buy it soon! Thank you for reviewing all of them…such a neat way to share some great books and to give your readers a little preview so they can decide if they want to add them to their own collections.

    have a nice evening,

    Nancy Roberts
    Nancy’s Daily Dish

  38. Hi Susan. Your mailbox garden is looking great! Every time I see a pic of your house at that angle it reminds me of my beloved home from when we lived in Georgia. Brings back good memories. Thanks for sharing your beautiful flower pics and for hosting. Have a great week!

  39. Love your flowers Susan. Vincas are about the only thing I can grow!;) Thanx for hosting.

  40. I planted 2 Curcumas in my Austin, TX garden 3 years ago, planted in partial sun since our summers are so hot. They have survived and grown a bit larger each season. I was born in Atlanta, but it has been a long time since I was there and don’t remember winter temps. Some winters here we don’t get a freeze, then in other years we may get several nights below freezing. It might survive for you. Mine don’t bloom as heavily as yours. It looks gorgeous.
    You must have a brught green thumb.

Leave a Reply to Tammy Cancel reply

*