The Loot (Part 3).

We spent the better part of the last weekend before the party getting the yard ready. Instead of buying already potted arrangements and sticking the plastic pots in clay ones like I did last year, we picked the varieties for the arrangement. This is terribly fun at the beautiful Hinsdale Nurseries. I went in with one idea of what I thought I would get, and walked out none of it but the sweet potato vine.

We also hit HD and Menard's for some hostas, salvia, and supplies, as well as another local nursery before heading back for finals at Hinsdale again. This was when the garage hook ended up with it's adornment – this vine with purple flower clusters – and I have no idea what it's called? It twists in the wind and projects a really pretty shadow on the garage windows (later in the day). It also needs a lot of water, which it reminds me everyday as it sags. Surprisingly, purple was kind of the recurring color. It also ended up in the hanging basket by the front door.


Also addressed was the front which basically got no attention last year. I use the term "we" pretty lightly. My Mom did most of the work of potting plants before I even got up in the morning. But I did use some long and pointy scissor-y things to hack the evergreens into some kind of shape. I really trimmed it up off the ground and got a lot of dead branches removed. Then I raked up all the dead leaves and most of the mulch. I think I'm over mulch. Everyone uses it, but I think it's messy and annoying.

Here I added a white hydrangea variety (light green, far left) in front of the two mock orange? that have since bloomed and smell amazing. There's also a new hosta (far right front) and three new purple salvia/sage plants (two left, one right). Then my Mom went by and added the marigolds (complimentary color to the purple) for a little boarder and some contrast.

It's been almost two weeks and I haven't killed anything! I really can't believe how well the stuff from last year is doing and how much stuff spread out. The shasta daisies and black-eyed susan's have little buds all over and I can't wait for them to finally burst open.

Do you capitalize names of plants? Both ways look weird.