A New Flower Bed for a New Generation of Gardeners

When I got over to my daughter's this morning, I found the sprinkler on her new flower bed.  She wanted a butterfly garden for her two daughters, 9 months and 3 and a half years old.

Since they are flowers named Lily Rose and Violet Belle, she definitely needs a flower garden.

She had cleared the grass (what little there was in this corner due to its former life as a rhubarb patch) a few weeks ago. She added some composted manure and granular plant food to each hole she dug. I loaned her my transplanting shovel with the narrow, honed tip which helped the job go a little easier. Some weed preventer sprinkled around the plants before the mulch went down should help her with weeds this season.

Here was her plan with stepping stones and an old tree trunk sculpture as garden features. Hollyhocks, balloon flower, scabiosa and butterfly bush near the railing. Iris and day lilies and some Asiatic lilies around the stump.  Salvia and yarrow and Indian blanket in front with some marigolds to chase away the bunnies.  Alysum and thyme around the stepping stones. Daisies at the corner of the step.

Mulch down and a little girl running over the stepping stones in her bathing suit to her swing makes a perfect flower garden for two little girls.  This was a week ago and you can tell from the first photo taken this morning that it is already taking hold--and the bunnies are leaving it alone so far!

Enjoy it, Lily and Violet!

Congratulations, Sara!