What does $300 worth of periwinkle look like?

Not much, actually, when your septic bed is as large as ours. But since nothing else will grow there, I bit the bullet and budgeted that much for periwinkle. It only covered the sloping sides, not the top. Here are a few pics.

You can see why we call it "Mount Davis"

Or "Mount Septic"

A dapple of sunlight gets through, but basically, these need to grow in the dark.

But the good news is that this is a one-time expense and in a couple of years, should be lush and lustrous.

In fact, 90% of my gardening this year is perennials. I had someone from the local garden centre come and do a walkabout to make sure that my plans were sound. I had some plants in the retaining wall garden on the driveway side that grew too tall and kept getting blown over. They were a huge physical job to move, including a brief stint as an axe wielding zombie to divide some of them, but they all survived the move. They are now happily transplanted to the lake side garden where they will be sheltered from the wind. (someone has since told me about a tool from Lee Valley that is perfect for sub-dividing)

I re-planted the retaining wall garden with 4 kinds of sedum and some creeping geraniums. The leaves on the sedum are beautiful without any flowers, so I will have something pleasing all year. Here is what they look like.

I just love the different shapes and textures of the leaves. And some are much higher than others.
Can't wait till it fills in a bit.

I also added some new perennials to the front (lake side) garden for a bit of colour in the empty spots.
It's looking very lush and Briar (isn't that the best name for a horticulturalist) says that it can basically be left alone, which is music to my ears.

As I was taking the pictures yesterday, I couldn't resist adding one of these happy fellows - who bloomed the night before, I'm sure.

For someone who has always been a "chancy gardener", I guess my luck is paying off. Now that I've had a professional confirm my plans, I am confident that I am on the right path (bad garden joke).