The west side

On the west side of the house, the "hen and chicks" I planted around this stumpy area are thriving and spreading. I've seen people use hens and chicks to get rid of tree stumps by actually planting them into the stumps. Here we took out a bush of some kind, and I thought that over time the hens and chicks might get rid of the remaining roots and protrusions. This is a mostly shady area tending to be damp, but the soil is sandy and slopes downhill. Lots of baby weeds are coming up too.

The Veronica miffy brute has spread a lot since the weather cooled. I hope it lasts the winter so that next year I have a carpet of it on the steps here. My French lavender (lavendula dentata) did quite well outside my kitchen window. I can't say I ever was aware of a lavender-scented zephyr when the window was open, though. The French lavender has been an annual for me in pots on the deck, but my sister-in-law encouraged me to hope that these two might survive the winter because they are sheltered. Our coldest wind around here comes from the northeast, so to be snuggled up to the west side of the house should be the safest they can be.

Below is a plant that I think I've grown in containers in past years, sold under the folk name "burgundy wedding veil," with the Latin name solenostemon hybrida. However, googling both those plant names didn't bring me any matches that are exactly the plant I've grown.

Here in the ground it has grown some stems and bloomed, which it never did in the pot--if indeed this is the same variety as my potted plants of yesteryear.