Front Yard Tour

Part One of my yard tour.

Here is my St. Francis Garden, at the top of my driveway, by the road.
I like the bigger St. Francis statue from my mother's garden. I had smaller one here before that you could barely see after everything grew. I have two roses in this garden: Comtesse du Cayla, a china (back left) and Leonie Lamesch, a polyantha (back right). They're nice sizes for this little garden. I'm not sure about my feelings for the evergreen in the back. I think it's a Globe Arborvitae. I like having something evergreen there, but I would prefer something cone-shaped. I really love dwarf Alberta Spruce, but I'm afraid it would be too hot for it there. We're really not the right zone for it. Maybe I can find something else that size and shape.
Also in this garden are daylilies, irises, hardy geraniums, a salvia, a clematis, an echinacea and a few other things. I still have some blank space at the front. I really need to put something there, but I can't figure out what. I don't know why fronts of borders are so hard for me.

A 'Comtesse du Cayla' bud.

'Leonie Lamesch' and irises 'Good and True' and 'Grapesicle'.

Growing on front of house are Boston Ivy on left and Climbing Hydrangea on right.

On front porch.

I'm going to plant a row of 'Sunny Knockout' roses on the right side of porch, in front of row of boxwoods ( I got the last five at Lowes yesterday!). I want to plant purple daylilies in front of the roses, but I haven't decided on them yet. I've been looking at 'Strutter's Ball', but I'm afraid it's too maroon instead of purple/violet.

'Sunny Knockout'.

Zooming in on the Good and Evil Garden on right of house, in front of garage.

This is my main cottage garden area. I really want it to have that look. I haven't ever had it full enough, but I'm trying to accomplish that this year. Roses here include 'Cl. Margot Koster' on pillar; three of 'Pat Austin' that have never really grown much (I can't seem to get rid of them though, because I love the color so much. This was my first rose and still one of my favorites.); 'Molinuex' that hasn't done much either (I think there's a David-Austin-roses-don't-do-well-in-this-garden theme going here.); 'Sunshine'; 'Crown Princess Margareta' that is doing better than the other Austins here; 'Mme. Charles' that I planted last year. I ordered 'Reine des Violettes' for here just yesterday. I think there's one more in here, but I can't remember it right now. I'll have to look it up in old notes.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is one of my favorite books and movies, obviously.

Moving to left side of front porch.

Roses planted here are (clockwise from front left) 'Mme. Laurette Messimy', a china; 'Second St. Tea', tea; 'Marie d'Orleans', tea; 'Souvenir de Germain de St. Pierre (What a name!), tea. Also, peony 'Gay Paree' and several daylilies, including my favorite, 'Matisse'. I'm considering taking out 'Second St. Tea' and 'Marie d'Orleans', and replacing with 'Mrs. B.R. Cant', which I have ordered. There are three irises planted here, including one of my favorites, 'Batik'.

'Souvenir de Germain de St. Pierre' close, closer, closest.

Even farther left is the gate to my Secret Garden. In front of row of arborvitaes are 'Happy Returns' daylilies and 'Double Knockout' roses that I planted a few days ago. They're so small now you can barely see their red color. In between the daylilies and roses, I want to plant a row of some kind of tall, purple iris that would bloom same time as daylilies.

On this arch is rose 'E. Veyrat Hermanos'. It's full of buds now, and I can't wait until it blooms.

That's it for my front yard!