Work in progress

So I talked about taming this jungle right?! Well work is in progress.  It started not with the Ivy but with extending and re-vamping the planting space that was already there.  On friday the new palm went into place. and I really can't even believe that it wasn't there all along!  It made the lonely smaller palm look like it really belonged where it was.  Before it felt like an abandoned palm in a jungle of ivy and weeds.  I always say palms look better in 3's but two will have to do (for now) in this planting space.  If the weather ever clears up the blues will really come out in those yuccas and agaves.

Here's a shot of the new palm.  I got this trachycarpus fortunei with my 32% off coupon... and best of all it was a bargain price to begin with.  So it kind of sealed the deal for me.  (please ignore the white pipe protruding from the ground... it is apart of a long term project of lighting the entire garden)

 You can see some of the new plantings here.  We brought in a bunch of manure and dug it in under the new palm to give it a bit of a boost.  There's still a fair bit of planting space both behind the old palm and all around the new one.  The yucca filamentosa in the first picture might go or get moved to the back to make room for something epic! Any suggestions?  I'm really concerned that I need some good contrast going on.  Every part of me is tempted to plant new zealand flax but I'm trying to think of a truly hardy alternative.  Like I said it is still very much a work in progress...