Wattle Woods Early Plantings 1
Like other areas in my garden, my initial plantings in the Wattle Woods became less and less suitable, as the trees I'd planted in the lawns and borders grew. The edges of the Wattle Woods were initially quite sunny, and I successfully grew irises and roses therein. Alas, the increasing shade from spring on began to affect things. Plants started sulking and losing their oomph.
cotinus and miscanthus
The top of the Wattle Woods had a special history. In the Christmas of 1997, mid-summer, my friend Judith Anne decided to shift to England, and I moved most of her garden plants out here. Two car loads of plants arrived on a hot summer's day - Hostas (my very first Hostas), Ajuga (hadn't met this before), Rhododendrons, Peonies, Bergenias, and two tall, old rose bushes. No-one believed that the plants would survive their mid-summer shift. Ha! They were wrong - at first. I called their garden area the JAM Garden.
Blue Ajuga, Purple Leaves
But the Wattle Woods were dry and sandy, just not suitable for such shrubs and perennials. Over the years the roses suffered, the rhododendrons died, and the Hostas were moved. Gradually the JAM garden lost its separate identity and merged into the Wattle Woods Garden. And I lost touch with my friend. Such is life!