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The Stonery: March 2026
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There was an area just to the side of the backdoor steps that was bare ground, with a wooden post supporting the patio roof. It would get very muddy when it rained (which, admittedly, is not that often in southern California). In the spring of 2024, I started placing some stones and small rocks I found around the garden at the base of the post, to add a little interest. Almost immediately, my gardener friend M started to tuck in some plants around the stones as you'd find in a rockery and I started to call it a stonery (as the stones were too small to call it a rockery).
When I took the picture above of the stonery, earlier this month, I thought of how this area has evolved over the past couple of years and thought I'd do a blog post about it.
Here's how this area looked in March 2024:
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| Sedum and a few Succulents |
In May 2024, the sedum had flower buds:
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| The Stonery - May, 2024 |
In June 2024, the sedum was flowering and we had added an edging of small rocks around the stonery to set it off:
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| The Stonery - June 2024 |
Apparently, I didn't take many pictures of the stonery during the summer, but, here's how it looked in September 2024:
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| The Stonery - September 2024 |
The sedum had almost finished flowering and the "scaredy cat" plant (
Coleus caninus) cuttings I had planted were trying to take over the whole area!
Here's how the stonery looked in October 2024:
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| The Stonery - October 2024 |
In early November, I decided that I wanted a paving stone pathway leading from the back steps to the garage, because the ground got quite wet and muddy when it rained.
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| New Pathway and Stonery - November 2024 |
Then, I decided that I wanted a slightly different design, so, M changed the way the pavers were set:
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| Newer Pathway Design and Stonery |
The stonery and pathway in January 2025:
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| The Stonery - January 2025 |
M moved up the stones right to the edge of the pathway and transplanted a hellebore plant from elsewhere in the garden and one of the nasturtium seeds he planted germinated and started to grow.
By February 2025, the hellebore and nasturtium plants were flowering:
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| The Stonery - February 2025 |
But, in March, the nasturtium plant became a casualty of a tussle between the garden cats and a raccoon:
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| Uprooted Nasturtium - March 2025 |
It had been snapped off at the root and eventually died. I was very disappointed. However, a second seed germinated and grew; not as well as the first plant, but, it produced flowers and set seeds which have since germinated.
Here's how the stonery looked at the end of March 2025:
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| The Stonery - March 2025 |
The cabbages that grew from a stem I had rooted in water and planted had grown better than I had expected! They didn't form a head, but, I didn't mind that. I picked and cooked one of them and allowed the other to bolt.
Here's the stonery in April 2025:
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| In April 2025 - Viewed from the back steps |
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| April 2025 - Viewed from the front |
The cabbage that was allowed to bolt was flowering.
Here's how the stonery looked in May 2025:
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| The Stonery - May 2025 |
The cabbage had finished flowering and seed pods were starting to form and the second nasturtium plant is starting to flower.
I didn't take a photo of the stonery in June 2025, but, I took a photo of the daylilies that were blooming:
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| Daylilies in the Stonery - June 2025 |
I didn't take any pictures of the stonery during the summer, either, but, here's how it looked after a shower of rain in November 2025:
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| November 2025 |
There are a couple of self-sown tomato plants growing in there and one or two nasturtium seedlings!
After that, I didn't take any photos af the stonery or post any monthly garden updates for one reason or another, until I took the first picture at the beginning of this post and the ones at the end of this post. The stones are still there, but, right now, this area is full of plants that are hiding the stones:
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| Plant Filled Stonery |
I'm loving it. I hope you've enjoyed seeing the evolution of the stonery.
By the way, I had written this post earlier in the day and was ready to publish it, but, then, I got signed off of Google and by the time I realized it and signed back on, I had lost most of the post and had to redo it! Grr! I hate when that happens!
M was here today (Wednesday) and he showed me that the amaryllis bulb he had planted in the stonery is starting to grow! I hope I'll get an amaryllis flower! In the meantime, the yellow iris he planted in the stonery is flowering:
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| Yellow Iris |
I am grateful for M's help with the garden in general and the stonery in particular.
What a gorgeous feature! It's so lovely. And those stones really break the harsh edges of the paving. I enjoyed the colour my Nasturtiums brought to the garden last summer. I think i need to sow some again, this year. I'll need to get out there soon and do some work. It's been sadly neglected over the winter. Xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. I'm enjoying the stonery and the different plants and their flowers. I am loving the nasturtiums and I hope that you can grow some again, this year. You always have a lot of pretty flowers in your garden. :)
DeleteThat's lovely! And I love seeing the evolution of the stonery through the months, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela, and you are very welcome. :)
DeleteOh, that was fun. I loved seeing the evolution of the Stonery. Sorry about post redo. That must have very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. Glad you liked it. Maybe the redo made for a better post as I kept it short and sweet! LOL.
DeleteThe Stonery is a whole garden in itself. I love it! I noticed some Harlequin flowers there that I thought were much larger when you featured them in an earlier post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. The Harlequin flowers were well spotted! Yes, they are about an inch and a half across. I think the ones I showed earlier, which were growing in the "bulbery", might have been about 2 inches across. Maybe the size of the flowers depend on the size of the bulb.
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous. Beautiful photos of this place. ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. :) I love this little area of the garden. :)
DeleteIt's a charming little area, and getting well established. Lots of cheery plants, not least the iris!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. This area gets a lot of water because it is close to where the garden faucet is and it gets a little extra watering when we use the garden hose; I think it helps (don't think I could get a fern to grow anywhere else in the garden!)
DeleteLooks really lovely. What a wonderful job you've done with the area
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. I must remember to take some pictures of it over the summer, too. :)
DeleteI love your stonery. You have done a good job filling it in and making it lovely. Happy first day of spring- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diana. Happy first day of spring to you, too!
DeleteYour stonery is really very lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. :)
DeleteSuch an enjoyable post. I loved seeing the evolution of your stonery and am pleased you had so many pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt really has developed into a nice area.
Thank you, Debra. I am very happy with how the stonery has evolved. I must remember to take more pictures of it to see how it changes over the year. :)
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