The lath house gets dressed up

Since my husband finished my lath (shade) house in late December, I've been working to dress up the outside area and, to a lesser extent, have begun acquiring shade plants to be kept inside.  I've got more to do on the outside but as I have tree trimming scheduled later this month, I'm holding off on further changes until that's done.  Careful as the crew usually is, there's almost always some collateral damage.

View of the lath house after its recent embellishments

View of the space from the other direction

The most noticeable changes to the lath house exterior are the pots on either side of the door and the window boxes.

I planted the pots on either side of the lath house door with the same materials: Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue', 2 varieties of pansies, and alyssum

And I planted the 2 window boxes with duplicates too: Heuchera 'Cocomint', Nemesia 'Sunshine', Pelargonium crispum, noID pansies and more alyssum

Other changes are less noticeable in the wide shots shown above.  I transplanted 3 clumps of Agapanthus moved from elsewhere in the garden; added 2 shrubs with large white blooms (Argyranthemum 'Go Daisy Mega White') and plugs of sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) and lobelia (Lobelia erinus 'Crystal Palace'); planted a flat of creeping thyme (Thymus serphyllum 'Elfin') and spread Mexican tulip poppy seeds (Hunnemannia fumariifolia).  I also spread 5 bags of wood mulch and created an informal seating area using 3 chunks of a tree trunk.

The tree trunk slices came from the peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) we removed years ago to address a neighbor's concerns with perceived obstructions of her view

In general, I'm satisfied with the views from inside the lath house but I still plan to do a bit of tweaking.

This view from the east-facing window is the one I'm happiest with

This view from the lath house door is the least satisfying.  I'm planning to remove the scraggly remnants of Liriope spicata, which has never looked good but refuses to die.  I'll  probably fill in with succulents.  This area is tough as it's sloped, poorly irrigated, and plants face root competition from the Arbutus 'Marina'. 

This is the view from the north-facing window.  The 5 Xylosma congestum shrubs we planted in the Spring of 2016 to fill in the gap in the hedge long the street are growing very slowly but, eventually (or perhaps I should say theoretically), this area will be more secluded in the future. 

Once the laurel shrubs (i.e. the Prunus laurocerasus I hesitate to call a hedge at this point) are topped off, I'll plant the area at the rear of the lath house along the property line.

The 'Golden Celebration' rose I currently have in a large pot needs more room in a sunnier spot and I'm hoping to plant it in the corner behind the lath house.  I may also add some ornamental grasses or grass-like plants along the boundary line.

I moved my orchid plants into the lath house as soon as it was completed.  I haven't gone crazy buying plants to fill the interior space (yet) but that doesn't mean I haven't already picked up some.  Most of my purchases so far have been small-sized plants that I'll pot up as they grow, assuming that they like life in the lath house.

There are a total of 9 orchid plants on the shelves on the left.  The pots in the corner section of the lower shelf contain a Cyclamen, an Iresine, and a coleus I'm trying to help limp through winter.  Two of the pots on the upper shelf on the right contain Fuchsias delivered by mail order yesterday.  (The other pot is currently empty.)

Tucked into this corner of the space are 2 small florist Hydrangeas (H. macrophylla 'Shooting Star' and a noID blue variety), Begonia 'Escargot', 2 ferns (Cyrtomium falcatum 'Rochfordianum' and Pellaea falcata), and Fuchsia procumbens

Here are close-ups of selected plants:

Top row: Gynura aurantiaca, the hydrangeas and begonia mentioned above, and 2 ferns (Belchnum brasiliense and Microsorum diversifolium)
Middle row: noID pink Cyclamen, Iresine herbstii 'Brilliantissima', and a noID white Cyclamen with Tillandsia sticta
Bottom row: Anemone coronaria planted with Ajuga 'Catlin's Giant' and Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage' (the latter found at 50% off!)

I couldn't find perfect matches among my collection of wide shot photos to compare the January 2017 view of this area with the current 2018 view but these came closest:

January 2017 view looking west toward the street (left) versus the current view (right)

The 2017 and 2018 views from the street looking east

I'm done with photos of the lath house for now.  Even the squirrel trying to forage under the bird feeders was tired of my frequent appearances trying to catch the right angles and the right light conditions.  It's time to just enjoy the space.

Mr. Squirrel and I wish you a peaceful and pleasant weekend!

All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party