Front Garden: Month Three

Hard to remember that my wild and woolly front landscape was a blank slate three months ago. It's fun to do the monthly photo and compare to week one (that may lose its appeal as we head into full summer). See below how everything has the appropriate growing and breathing room back in the first week of April:

Now: Oops! Burgundy hibiscus just keeps growing, crowding over the gulf muhly grasses. I suppose this is what can happen when you buy a plant with unknown size requirements. Thank goodness the foliage is gorgeous and it's an annual.
Behind the hibiscus, the fig's much more slow growing, but it's looking fuller. And the fireworks ferns are doing fine.

Here's the front garden on the other side of the path, back in early April (clockwise from top left: gaura, firebush, blackie sweet potato, gregg's mist, artemesia, rosemary, Mexican feathergrass)

Far corner of that area, also early April (note that the sweet potato vine is behind the gregg's mist):
Today: everything's filled out to the point that some plants probably need to be cut back. The sweet potato vine made its way through the gregg's mist on its way to the sidewalk.

Back view of that same area: watermelon vine has run amok!

The veggie garden is still productive (tomatoes, eggplants, watermelon, zinnias, occasional green bean), but not very pretty!

Next time, I will have a strategy for tomato sprawl...

And to end on a more lovely landscape note, yesterday's rain brought the butterflies out this morning. Here's one on the gaura (also called, I believe, "whirling butterflies").